Dr. Hanna on the Efficacy of Tipifarnib in HRAS-Mutated Head and Neck Cancer

Glenn J. Hanna, MD, physician, director, Center for Salivary and Rare Head and Neck Cancers, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, assistant professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, discusses promising data reported with tipifarnib in patients with HRAS-mutated head and neck cancer.

The oral farnesyl transferase inhibitor tipifarnib was designed to target HRAS, which is currently the most promising targetable alteration in head neck cancer, according to Hanna. In the phase 2 RUN-HN study (NCT02383927), tipifarnib was evaluated in patients with advanced metastatic head and neck cancers, as well as squamous cell carcinomas who harbor this mutation.

Results showed that the agent elicited an overall response rate of 55% in patients with a variant allele frequency (VAF) of 20% or greater, Hanna explains. The data provide evidence that molecularly selecting a subgroup of patients who may benefit from certain therapies can enrich for responses, Hanna explains.

Furthermore, the median overall survival achieved with the agent in this population was 15.4 months, which is significant compared with what has been observed in other unselected head neck cancer populations, Hanna concludes.