Immunotherapy and Head and Neck Cancer

Harnessing the power of the immune system to fight advanced head and neck cancers topped the list of breakthroughs for several otolaryngologists asked to identify recent research that has transformed clinical care. Read “Otolaryngologists See Immunotherapy as Hope for Patients with Head and Neck Cancer,” published in the February 2020 issue of ENTtoday, before taking this quiz.

Regarding the use of PD-1 inhibitor immunotherapies for advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, which of the following statements is FALSE?

A) Because otolaryngology surgeons obtain both pre- and post-treatment biopsy specimens, they may be able to help medical oncologists understand how well patients are responding to PD-1 inhibitors in real time. Analysis of these biopsies may help improve understanding of why some individuals respond well and others do not.

B) Some experts have argued that enough data are available to support the use of PD-1 inhibitors for recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, either as a first-line treatment or used in addition to standard-of-care chemotherapy.

C) Some evidence suggests that in patients given PD-1 inhibitors, high tumor expression of PD-L1 might improve response as assessed by length of overall survival (as in a study of pembrolizumab). However, benefits in overall survival have been seen across the spectrum of patients with different levels of PD-L1 expression (as seen in a study of nivolumab).

D) In the CheckMate 141 trial of nivolumab for recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma refractory to platinum-based chemotherapy, HPV-positive patients had noticeably improved rates of overall survival compared to HPV-negative patients.

Question by Ruth Jessen Hickman, MD

ENTtoday - https://www.enttoday.org/quiz/immunotherapy-and-head-and-neck-cancer/