Dr. Mell on Toxicities Associated With GL-ONC1 for Head and Neck Cancer

Loren K. Mell, MD, chief, Head and Neck Malignancy Service, associate professor, University of California, San Diego, discusses toxicities associated with GL-ONC1 for the treatment of patients with head and neck cancer.

GL-ONC1 is an attenuated vaccinia virus that demonstrated safety and clinical benefit when delivered intravenously with concurrent chemoradiation therapy for patients with locoregionally advanced head and neck cancer, as seen in a phase I study.

GL-ONC1 was found to be a well-tolerated agent in this study. The most common adverse events observed were low-grade, short-term rash and flu-like symptoms. Based on the foundation of GL-ONC1, its safety profile was expected. However, researchers were unsure if the agent would be just as tolerable when combined with chemotherapy.