Dr. Seiwert on Managing Side Effects for Head and Neck Cancer Treatment

Tanguy I. Seiwert, MD, assistant professor of Medicine, University of Chicago Medicine, discusses managing toxicities associated with immunotherapy for patients with head and neck cancer.

This is an exciting time to be a medical oncologist because the field is changing so rapidly, Seiwert explains. It is very important for physicians to get comfortable with immunotherapy and the side effect profiles. Moreover, he says, side effects can also be a sign of efficacy. Even the more severe adverse events, as frequently seen with CTLA-4 inhibitors, are also manageable.

It is important for community-based physicians to get more experience administering these immunotherapy agents, just as they have with various other treatments in the past, Seiwert concludes.