Eleni M. Rettig, MD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, discusses the promising but thus far limited data on using circulating tumor HPV DNA for early detection of HPV-related oropharyngeal cancers, which highlights the importance of developing a reliable biomarker (Poster Abstract 177).
Nabil F. Saba, MD, of Emory University, discusses study findings on 2-year survival rates in patients with recurrent metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma who received pembrolizumab plus cabozantinib. The progression-free survival rate of 32% and the overall survival rate of 55% suggest a durable clinical activity of this combination therapy (Abstract 2).
Marcin R. Dzienis, MBBS, of Australia’s Gold Coast University Hospital, discusses the final analysis of KEYNOTE-B10, a phase IV study in which patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) received a first-line combination regimen of pembrolizumab plus carboplatin and paclitaxel. The regimen demonstrated durable antitumor activity, irrespective of patients’ PD-L1 status (Abstract 3).
Evan M. Graboyes, MD, MPH, of the Medical University of South Carolina, discusses the results of the NDURE study, which explored the delays in starting postoperative radiation therapy in patients with head and neck cancer and ways to improve the timeliness and equity of treatment. Delays in this therapy are associated with higher recurrence and poorer survival in this population (Abstract LBA2).
Nabil F. Saba, MD, of Emory University, discusses phase II study results suggesting parenteral administration of TK-90 may be an effective strategy for preventing radiation-induced oral mucositis in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (Abstract 10).
Samuel Regan, MD, and Benjamin Rosen, PhD, both of the University of Michigan, discuss results from a phase II trial showing the possibility of de-escalating chemoradiation treatment for patients with HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer, based on an FDG-PET imaging biomarker. The data suggest that patients may experience few locoregional recurrences and less toxicity (Abstract 16).
