Dr. Seiwert on Next Steps in Treatment of Patients With Head and Neck Cancer

Tanguy I. Seiwert, MD, assistant professor of Medicine, University of Chicago Medicine, discusses the next steps researchers are taking to improve survival outcomes for patients with head and neck cancer.

Tanguy I. Seiwert, MD, assistant professor of Medicine, University of Chicago Medicine, discusses the next steps researchers are taking to improve survival outcomes for patients with head and neck cancer.

While there are the 2 FDA approvals of the PD-1 inhibitors pembrolizumab (Keytruda) and nivolumab (Opdivo) for these patients, there is still much more work to be done. Moreover, he adds, researchers are just scratching the surface as responses rates are only seen in 13% to 20% of patients.

However, there is greater potential for more of a benefit. This includes combinations of these PD-1 inhibitors with chemotherapy or other immunotherapies, he adds.