Dr. Posner on Leveraging Tipifarnib in HRAS-Mutant Head and Neck Cancer

Marshall Posner, MD, professor of medicine, director of head and neck medical oncology, associate director of the Center for Personalized Cancer Therapeutics, and co-leader of the Cancer Clinical Investigation Program for the Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai, shares his clinical experience with the use of tipifarnib in patients with head and neck cancer whose tumors harbor HRAS mutations.

Studies have shown that tipifarnib elicits favorable responses in patients with HRAS mutations, Posner says. However the drug may have limited use for this population, as only 3% to 5% of patients with head and neck cancer have tumors that harbor these mutations, according to Posner. He adds that he is currently treating 3 patients with HRAS mutations, 1 of whom has a salivary gland tumor. This patient was granted compassionate use of tipifarnib and experienced a response of about 9 months, Posner adds.

Tipifarnib has showcased a high level of efficacy and control of disease, Posner explains. Although the duration of disease control may not be as long as desired, but there may be other ways to achieve this after establishing whether patients harbor HRAS mutations, Posner concludes.