Dr. Sacco on Ongoing Trials for Chemoradiation in Head and Neck Cancer

Video

Assuntina G. Sacco, MD, assistant professor of medicine, medical oncologist, UC San Diego Health, discusses ongoing trials investigating chemoradiation for patients with head and neck cancer.

Assuntina G. Sacco, MD, assistant professor of medicine, medical oncologist, UC San Diego Health, discusses ongoing trials investigating chemoradiation for patients with head and neck cancer.

For patients with locally advanced disease who are going to receive chemoradiation, there are 2 ongoing trials. One trial is involving the addition of immunotherapy, specifically pembrolizumab (Keytruda), as both a lead-in phase given concurrently throughout chemotherapy and radiation, and then as an adjuvant treatment. That study was designed by Sanford Health; Dr Kathryn A. Gold is the principle investigator at UC San Diego Health, says Sacco.

The second trial is a Pfizer-sponsored trial called JAVELIN. This is for patients with high-risk head and neck cancer, and involves high-dose cisplatin with radiation. They may also receive placebo or a PD-L1 inhibitor, specifically avelumab (Bavencio), which is given as a lead in, concurrent throughout chemoradiation, and then in the maintenance phase, which is up to 1 year, explains Sacco.

Related Videos
Emmanuel Antonarakis, MD, associate director, Translational Research, Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Clark Endowed Professor of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School
Gautam Jha, MD, medical director, M Health Fairview Masonic Cancer Clinic and the Advanced Treatment Center at the M Health Fairview Clinics and Surgery Center—Minneapolis, chair, cancer committee, M Health Fairview Ridges Hospital
Ricardo D. Parrondo, MD, hematologist/oncologist, Mayo Clinic
Ilyas Sahin, MD
Raj Singh, MD
Jaime R. Merchán, MD, professor, co-leader, Translational and Clinical Oncology Research Program, director, Phase 1 Clinical Trials Program, Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center
Saad J. Kenderian, MB, CHB
Tycel Phillips, MD
Minesh Mehta, MD
Shivaani Kummar, MBBS, FACP, Margaret and Lester DeArmond Endowed Chair of Cancer Research, Professor and Division Head, Division of Hematology/Medical Oncology, Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine; co-director, Center for Experimental Therapeutics, co-deputy director, Knight Cancer Institute