Head & Neck Cancers

Selpercatinib resulted in a statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival and overall response rate compared with cabozantinib or vandetanib in patients with advanced, multikinase inhibitor–naïve, RET-mutant medullary thyroid cancer, according to interim findings from the phase 3 LIBRETTO-531 trial.

Sacituzumab govitecan-hziy led to modest but durable antitumor activity with predominant gastrointestinal toxicities in patients with metastatic or locally recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma who received between 1 and 3 prior lines of therapy.

David Sher, MD, discusses efficacy outcomes with daily adaptive radiotherapy with 1-mm planning target volume margins in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Treatment with the first-in-class radioenhancer NBTXR3 proved tolerable and effective in older patients with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and a comorbidity index.

Daily adaptive radiotherapy with 1-mm planning target volume margins is feasible in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and was associated with improved dosimetric parameters compared with standard radiotherapy.

Second-line treatment with NT219 alone and in combination with cetuximab demonstrated safety and tolerability, and the combination produced confirmed partial responses in patients with recurrent and/or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

The addition of PDS0101 to pembrolizumab resulted in a 2-year overall survival rate of 74% in patients with unresectable, recurrent, or metastatic, HPV16-positive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma who were naïve to an immune checkpoint inhibitor.

Bernard Doger de Spéville, MD, PhD, discusses the investigation of eftilagimod alpha plus pembrolizumab in the TACTI-002 trial, including prior evidence supporting this approach, the trial’s design and primary objective, and the combination’s efficacy and safety in both the head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and non–small cell lung cancer cohorts.

The FDA has granted fast track designation to ALE.C04 for use as a potential therapeutic option in patients with recurrent or metastatic, Claudin-1–positive head and neck squamous cell carcinomas.

The combination of pembrolizumab and lenvatinib demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival and objective response rate but failed to improve overall survival compared with pembrolizumab plus placebo as frontline therapy for patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Selpercatinib demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival vs physician’s choice of cabozantinib or vandetanib in patients with advanced or metastatic RET-mutant medullary thyroid cancer, meeting the primary end point of the phase 3 LIBRETTO-531 trial.

The FDA has issued a complete response letter to the new drug application seeking the approval of avasopasem manganese as a treatment for radiotherapy-induced severe oral mucositis in patients with head and neck cancer undergoing standard-of-care treatment.

Treatment with the combination of ENB-003 and pembrolizumab was well tolerated and produced preliminary signs of clinical activity in patients with platinum-refractory or -resistant, microsatellite stable ovarian cancer, and those with other advanced refractory solid tumors.

The combination of the NOX1/4 inhibitor setanaxib and pembrolizumab produced progression-free survival benefits compared with placebo plus pembrolizumab in patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Treatment with ASP-1929 in combination with pembrolizumab led to responses and was well tolerated in patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

The US indication for pralsetinib in the treatment of adult and pediatric patients aged 12 years and older with advanced or metastatic RET-mutant medullary thyroid cancer who require systemic therapy has been voluntarily withdrawn by Genentech.

A panel of head and neck cancer experts discussed the nuances of managing relapsed or refractory DTC with lenvatinib or sorafenib, as well as sequencing considerations with targeted therapies in the second-line setting and beyond for patients with relapsed or refractory disease.

Nabil F. Saba, MD, FACP, discusses key findings from the phase 3 CONTINUUM trial of sintilimab plus chemoradiotherapy in patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

The addition of sintilimab to chemoradiotherapy demonstrated a significant reduction in the risk of disease recurrence or death, distant metastasis and locoregional recurrence compared with chemoradiotherapy alone as frontline therapy in patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma, according to findings from the phase 3 CONTINUUM trial.

Jun Ma, MD, discusses findings from the phase 3 CONTINUUM trial of sintilimab in combination with induction chemotherapy and concurrent chemoradiotherapy in patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Darolutamide was well tolerated and generated clinically meaningful activity across secondary end points in the treatment of patients with androgen receptor–positive salivary gland cancer.

Bernard Doger de Spéville, MD, PhD, discusses key findings from part C of the phase 2 TACTI-002 trial of eftilagimod alpha plus pembrolizumab as second-line treatment for patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Before closing out their discussion on RR DTC management, panelists consider the advent of sequencing through multiple lines of therapy.

Shared insight on the optimal use of RET inhibitor therapy in select patients with RET-rearranged radioiodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer.

Centering discussion on the final clinical scenario of RR DTC, Francis Worden, MD, highlights the management of a patient with an identified RET rearrangement.