Outcomes in biomarker-selected subgroups from the KESTREL study of durvalumab and tremelimumab in recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Selective biomarkers may improve outcomes in patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (R/M HNSCC) treated with immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. We investigated three independent biomarkers for association with efficacy in the randomized, phase III KESTREL study (NCT02551159) of first-line durvalumab monotherapy or durvalumab plus tremelimumab versus the EXTREME regimen: programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) immunohistochemistry, blood tumor mutational burden (bTMB) via circulating tumor DNA, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR). METHODS: Tumor or blood samples from patients enrolled in the KESTREL study were analyzed for PD-L1, bTMB, and NLR. Associations with overall survival (OS) or objective response rates (ORRs) were evaluated based on prespecified cut-offs for PD-L1 (tumor cell [TC] ≥ 50%/immune cell ≥ 25% or TC ≥ 25%), bTMB (≥ 16 mutations [mut] per megabase [Mb]), and NLR (≤ 7). Ad hoc analyses of exploratory cut-offs were performed. RESULTS: Prespecified or exploratory cut-offs for PD-L1 did not enrich for ORR or OS for durvalumab monotherapy or durvalumab plus tremelimumab versus EXTREME. In the bTMB ≥ 16 mut/Mb subgroup, OS hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) for durvalumab monotherapy and durvalumab plus tremelimumab versus EXTREME were 0.90 (0.48-1.72) and 0.69 (0.39-1.25), respectively. Complete response rates were 8.6% with durvalumab plus tremelimumab and 4.3% with EXTREME (≥ 16 mut/Mb subgroup). No improvement in OS was observed for durvalumab monotherapy or durvalumab plus tremelimumab versus EXTREME at prespecified or exploratory NLR cut-offs. CONCLUSIONS: bTMB demonstrated potential utility for selecting patients with R/M HNSCC who benefited from durvalumab with or without tremelimumab versus EXTREME. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02551159.

Phase I study of nab-paclitaxel-based induction followed by nab-paclitaxel-based concurrent chemotherapy and re-irradiation in previously treated head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is associated with poor overall survival (OS). Prior studies suggested incorporation of nab-paclitaxel (A) may improve outcomes in recurrent HNSCC. METHODS: This Phase I study evaluated induction with carboplatin and A followed by concomitant FHX (infusional 5-fluorouracil, hydroxyurea and twice-daily radiation therapy administered every other week) plus A with cohort dose escalation ranging from 10-100 mg/m2 in recurrent HNSCC. The primary endpoint was maximally tolerated dose (MTD) and dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) of A when given in combination with FHX (AFHX). RESULTS: Forty-eight eligible pts started induction; 28 pts started AFHX and were evaluable for toxicity. Two DLTs occurred (both Grade 4 mucositis) at a dose level 20 mg/m2. No further DLTs were observed with subsequent dose escalation. The MTD and recommended Phase II dose (RP2D) of A was 100 mg/m2. CONCLUSIONS: In this Phase I study, the RP2D of A with FHX is 100 mg/m2 (AFHX). The role of re-irradiation with immunotherapy warrants further investigation. CLINICAL TRIAL INFORMATION: This clinical trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01847326.

Immune-related adverse events are associated with improved response, progression-free survival, and overall survival for patients with head and neck cancer receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors.

BACKGROUND: The authors hypothesized that patients developing immune-related adverse events (irAEs) while receiving immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) for recurrent/metastatic head and neck cancer (HNC) would have improved oncologic outcomes. METHODS: Patients with recurrent/metastatic HNC received ICI at 2 centers. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression, Kaplan-Meier methods, and Cox proportional hazards regression were used to associate the irAE status with the overall response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) in cohort 1 (n = 108). These outcomes were also analyzed in an independent cohort of patients receiving ICI (cohort 2; 47 evaluable for irAEs). RESULTS: The median follow-up was 8.4 months for patients treated in cohort 1. Sixty irAEs occurred in 49 of 108 patients with 5 grade 3 or higher irAEs (10.2%). ORR was higher for irAE+ patients (30.6%) in comparison with irAE- patients (12.3%; P = .02). The median PFS was 6.9 months for irAE+ patients and 2.1 months for irAE- patients (P = .0004), and the median OS was 12.5 and 6.8 months, respectively (P = .007). Experiencing 1 or more irAEs remained associated with ORR (P = .03), PFS (P = .003), and OS (P = .004) in multivariate analyses. The association between development of irAEs and prolonged OS persisted in a 22-week landmark analysis (P = .049). The association between development of irAEs and favorable outcomes was verified in cohort 2. CONCLUSIONS: The development of irAEs was strongly associated with an ICI benefit, including overall response, PFS, and OS, in 2 separate cohorts of patients with recurrent/metastatic HNC.

A randomized phase 2 study of temsirolimus and cetuximab versus temsirolimus alone in recurrent/metastatic, cetuximab-resistant head and neck cancer: The MAESTRO study.

BACKGROUND: Patients with cetuximab-resistant, recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) have poor outcomes. This study hypothesized that dual blockade of mammalian target of rapamycin and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) would overcome cetuximab resistance on the basis of the role of phosphoinositide 3-kinase signaling in preclinical models of EGFR resistance. METHODS: In this multicenter, randomized clinical study, patients with recurrent/metastatic HNSCC with documented progression on cetuximab (in any line in the recurrent/metastatic setting) received 25 mg of temsirolimus weekly plus cetuximab at 400/250 mg/m2 weekly (TC) or single-agent temsirolimus (T). The primary outcome was progression-free survival (PFS) in the TC arm versus the T arm. Response rates, overall survival, and toxicity were secondary outcomes. RESULTS: Eighty patients were randomized to therapy with TC or T alone. There was no difference for the primary outcome of median PFS (TC arm, 3.5 months; T arm, 3.5 months). The response rate was 12.5% in the TC arm (5 responses, including 1 complete response [2.5%]) and 2.5% in the T arm (1 partial response; P = .10). Responses were clinically meaningful in the TC arm (range, 3.6-9.1 months) but not in the T-alone arm (1.9 months). Fatigue, electrolyte abnormalities, and leukopenia were the most common grade 3 or higher adverse events and occurred in less than 20% of patients in both arms. CONCLUSIONS: The study did not meet its primary endpoint of improvement in PFS. However, TC induced responses in cetuximab-refractory patients with good tolerability. The post hoc observation of activity in patients with acquired resistance (after prior benefit from cetuximab monotherapy) may warrant further investigation.

A randomized phase 2 network trial of tivantinib plus cetuximab versus cetuximab in patients with recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: MET signaling is a well described mechanism of resistance to anti-EGFR therapy, and MET overexpression is common in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs). In the current trial, the authors compared the oral MET inhibitor tivantinib (ARQ197) in combination with cetuximab (the TC arm) versus a control arm that received cetuximab monotherapy (C) in patients with recurrent/metastatic HNSCC. METHODS: In total, 78 evaluable patients with cetuximab-naive, platinum-refractory HNSCC were enrolled, including 40 on the TC arm and 38 on the C arm (stratified by human papillomavirus [HPV] status). Patients received oral tivantinib 360 mg twice daily and intravenous cetuximab 500 mg/m2 once every 2 weeks. The primary outcome was the response rate (according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, version 1.1), and secondary outcomes included progression-free and overall survival. After patients progressed on the C arm, tivantinib monotherapy was optional. RESULTS: The response rate was 7.5% in the TC arm (N = 3; 1 complete response) and 7.9% in the C arm (N = 3; not significantly different [NS]). The median progression-free survival in both arms was 4 months (NS), and the median overall survival was 8 months (NS). Both treatments were well tolerated, with a trend toward increased hematologic toxicities in the TC arm (12.5% had grade 3 leukopenia). The response rate in 31 HPV-positive/p16-positive patients was 0% in both arms, whereas the response rate in HPV-negative patients was 12.7% (12.5% in the TC arm and 13% in the C arm). Fifteen patients received tivantinib monotherapy, and no responses were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Combined tivantinib plus cetuximab does not significantly improve the response rate or survival compared with cetuximab alone but does increase toxicity in an unselected HNSCC population. Cetuximab responses appear to be limited to patients who have HPV-negative HNSCC. MET-aberration-focused trials for HNSCC and the use of higher potency, selective MET inhibitors remain of interest.

Efficacy and safety of pembrolizumab in recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: pooled analyses after long-term follow-up in KEYNOTE-012.

BACKGROUND: Second-line treatment options for advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are limited. The phase Ib KEYNOTE-012 study evaluated the safety and the efficacy of pembrolizumab for the treatment of HNSCC after long-term follow-up. METHODS: Multi-centre, non-randomised trial included two HNSCC cohorts (initial and expansion) in which 192 patients were eligible. Patients received pembrolizumab 10 mg/kg every 2 weeks (initial cohort; N = 60) or 200 mg every 3 weeks (expansion cohort; N = 132). Co-primary endpoints were safety and overall response rate (ORR; RECIST v1.1; central imaging vendor review). RESULTS: Median follow-up was 9 months (range, 0.2-32). Treatment-related adverse events (AEs) of any grade and grade 3/4 occurred in 123 (64%) and 24 (13%) patients, respectively. No deaths were attributed to treatment-related AEs. ORR was 18% (34/192; 95% CI, 13-24%). Median response duration was not reached (range, 2+ to 30+ months); 85% of responses lasted ≥6 months. Overall survival at 12 months was 38%. CONCLUSIONS: Some patients received 2 years of treatment and the responses were ongoing for more than 30 months; the durable anti-tumour activity and tolerable safety profile, observed with long-term follow-up, support the use of pembrolizumab as a treatment for recurrent/metastatic HNSCC.

Immunotherapy for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Review of Current and Emerging Therapeutic Options.

Advances in the field of cancer immunotherapy have occurred rapidly over the past decade. Exciting results from clinical trials have led to new treatment options and improved survival for patients with a myriad of solid tumor pathologies. However, questions remain unanswered regarding duration and timing of therapy, combination regimens, appropriate biomarkers of disease, and optimal monitoring of therapeutic response. This article reviews emerging immunotherapeutic agents and significant clinical trials that have led to advancements in the field of immuno-oncology for patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This review article summarizes recently developed agents that harness the immune system to fight head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. A brief review of the immune system and its role in cancer development is included. Recently completed and emerging therapeutic trials centering on the immune system and head and neck cancer are reviewed.

Safety and clinical activity of pembrolizumab for treatment of recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (KEYNOTE-012): an open-label, multicentre, phase 1b trial.

BACKGROUND: Patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck have few treatment options. We aimed to assess the safety, tolerability, and antitumour activity of pembrolizumab, a humanised anti-programmed death receptor 1 (PD-1) antibody, in patients with PD-L1-positive recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. METHODS: This study was an open-label, multicentre, phase 1b trial of patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Patients were eligible for enrolment if they were aged 18 years or older, had a confirmed diagnosis of recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, and had any level of PD-L1 expression (ie, at least 1% of tumour cells or stroma that were PD-L1-positive by immunohistochemistry). Patients received pembrolizumab 10 mg/kg intravenously every 2 weeks. Primary outcomes were safety in the per-protocol population and the proportion of patients with centrally reviewed overall response per Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST, version 1.1). Overall response was analysed in the full analysis set, which was defined as all patients who had received at least one dose of pembrolizumab, had measurable disease at baseline, and one post-baseline scan or patients without a post-baseline scan who discontinued therapy because of disease progression or a drug-related adverse event. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01848834 and is ongoing, but no longer enrolling patients. FINDINGS: Of the 104 patients screened between June 7, 2013, and Oct 3, 2013, 81 (78%) were PD-L1-positive. Of these, 60 patients with PD-L1-positive squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck were enrolled and treated: 23 (38%) were HPV-positive and 37 (62%) were HPV-negative. Pembrolizumab was well tolerated, with 10 (17%) of 60 patients having grade 3-4 drug-related adverse events, the most common of which were increases in alanine aminotransferase and in aspartate aminotransferase, and hyponatraemia, each occurring in two of 60 patients; one patient developed a grade 3 drug-related rash. 27 (45%) of 60 patients experienced a serious adverse event. There were no drug-related deaths. The proportion of patients with an overall response by central imaging review was 18% (eight of 45 patients; 95% CI 8-32) in all patients and was 25% (four of 16 patients; 7-52) in HPV-positive patients and 14% (four of 29 patients; 4-32) in HPV-negative patients. INTERPRETATION: Pembrolizumab was well tolerated and demonstrated clinically meaningful antitumour activity in recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, supporting further study of pembrolizumab as anticancer therapy for advanced head and neck cancers. FUNDING: Merck & Co.

Phase Ib study of duligotuzumab (MEHD7945A) plus cisplatin/5-fluorouracil or carboplatin/paclitaxel for first-line treatment of recurrent/metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

BACKGROUND: This open-label, multicenter, phase Ib study assessed the safety and preliminary activity of duligotuzumab, a dual-action antibody that blocks ligand binding to human epidermal growth factor receptor 3 (HER3) and epidermal growth factor receptor, in combination with chemotherapy, in the first-line treatment of patients with recurrent/metastatic squamous cell cancer of the head and neck. METHODS: On day 1, duligotuzumab at a dose of 1650 mg intravenously was combined with cisplatin at a dose of 100 mg/m2 and 5-fluorouracil at a dose of 1000 mg/m2 /day on days 1 to 4 in treatment arm A, or carboplatin (area under the curve, 6 mg/mL/min) and paclitaxel (at a dose of 200 mg/m2 ) in treatment arm B. Up to 6 cycles (21 days/cycle) were followed by duligotuzumab maintenance until disease progression or intolerable toxicity occurred. RESULTS: Nine patients in arm A and 15 patients in arm B received a median of 6 cycles of chemotherapy, and a median of 11 cycles (arm A) and 9 cycles (arm B) of duligotuzumab. Dose-limiting toxicities occurred in 3 patients in arm A and 1 patient in arm B. Grade ≥ 3 treatment-related adverse events (graded according to graded according to National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events [version 4.0]) in ≥ 3 patients were neutropenia (5 patients), hypokalemia (4 patients), dehydration (3 patients), anemia (3 patients), and diarrhea (3 patients) in arm A, and neutropenia (8 patients), anemia (5 patients), febrile neutropenia (4 patients), leukopenia (3 patients), thrombocytopenia (3 patients), and hypomagnesemia (3 patients) in arm B. The chemotherapy dose was reduced in 19 of 24 patients. Sixteen patients (67%) demonstrated objective responses regardless of human papillomavirus status or neuregulin 1 (NRG1) mRNA expression (arm A: 2 confirmed complete responses and 4 confirmed partial responses; arm B: 2 confirmed complete responses and 8 confirmed partial responses). CONCLUSIONS: Duligotuzumab in combination with cisplatin/5-fluorouracil or carboplatin/paclitaxel demonstrated encouraging activity in patients with recurrent/metastatic squamous cell cancer of the head and neck; an association with increased frequency and severity of select adverse events relative to historical data was suggestive of the potentiation of chemotherapy-related adverse events. Cancer 2016;122:3803-3811. © 2016 American Cancer Society.

Systemic Bevacizumab for Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis: A Single Institution's Experience.

OBJECTIVES: Medical therapies to limit disease recurrence are critically needed for recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP). Systemic bevacizumab is emerging as an exciting adjuvant therapy toward this end, but uptake has been poor due to the lack of experience and awareness of best prescribing practices. The objective of this study was to describe a single tertiary care academic medical center's experience using systemic bevacizumab for the treatment of RRP. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed to identify patients with RRP on systemic bevacizumab. Demographic and clinical characteristics, findings on imaging reports, and disease response at all anatomic subsites involved in papilloma were documented. RESULTS: Of the 17 RRP patients on systemic bevacizumab, 9 (52.9%) were male, and 12 (70.6%) were diagnosed with juvenile-onset RRP. The total lifetime number of surgeries was high, with more than half (n = 9; 52.9%) undergoing more than 50 surgeries. Following induction of systemic bevacizumab, a significant reduction in patients with laryngeal (n = 15; 94.1% vs. n = 7; 41.2%, p < 0.001) and tracheal (n = 11; 64.7% vs. n = 5; 29.4%, p = 0.04) RRP was noted. Surgical frequency was significantly lower following systemic bevacizumab (2.5 vs. 0.5 surgeries per year; p < 0.001). The most common complications were new-onset hypertension (n = 4; 23.5%) and proteinuria (n = 5; 29.4%). CONCLUSION: Systemic bevacizumab is effective in reducing the number of surgeries needed for RRP while exhibiting a relatively safe complication profile. Papillomas in the larynx and trachea are most responsive to systemic bevacizumab, while pulmonary RRP is most likely to exhibit a partial-to-stable response. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4 Laryngoscope, 134:3253-3259, 2024.

Efficacy of Systemic Bevacizumab for Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis with Pulmonary Involvement.

OBJECTIVES: Pulmonary papillomatosis is a rare but severe manifestation of recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP). Efficacy data of systemic bevacizumab for pulmonary RRP are limited. This study's objective was to characterize disease response of pulmonary RRP to systemic bevacizumab. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed to identify patients with pulmonary RRP seen at three medical institutions. Clinical symptoms, CT findings, and disease response were compared before and after initiation of systemic bevacizumab therapy. Disease response was categorized as complete response, partial response, stabilization, or progression for each subsite involved by papilloma. RESULTS: Of the 12 pulmonary RRP patients treated with systemic bevacizumab, 4 (33.3%) were male, and 11 (91.7%) were juvenile-onset RRP patients. All presented with laryngeal, tracheal, and pulmonary RRP. The median (range) age at first bevacizumab infusion was 48.1 (19.5-70.2) years. Progression to pulmonary malignancy was identified in 3 (25.0%) patients, 2 before initiation of and 1 after complete cessation of bevacizumab therapy. Clinical symptoms such as dyspnea (75.0% vs. 25.0%; p = 0.01) and dysphagia and/or odynophagia (33.3 vs. 0.0%; p = 0.03) were significantly decreased following bevacizumab therapy. Compared with pre-treatment baseline, 9 (75.0%) patients experienced a stable-to-partial response in the lungs to systemic bevacizumab, and 10 (83.3%) experienced partial-to-complete responses in the larynx and trachea. CONCLUSION: Systemic bevacizumab is effective in stabilizing progression in even the most severe cases of RRP, with both a dramatic reduction in laryngeal and tracheal disease as well as a stable-to-partial response of pulmonary involvement in a majority of patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4 Laryngoscope, 134:577-581, 2024.

Allergy History and Immunotherapy Response in Patients With Recurrent/Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: This study examines the association between patient-reported allergy history and immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) response in patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (RMHNSCC). STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Academic tertiary care hospital. METHODS: Data were collected from the electronic medical records on baseline age, sex, allergy history, human papillomavirus status, T-stage, N-stage, smoking status, and survival for patients with and without an allergy history. The primary outcome was ICI response defined as complete or partial response by the RECIST criteria. Chi-square and logistic regression analyses were conducted to compare rates and odds of ICI response. Kaplan-Meier analyses were used to compare survival between groups. RESULTS: Our study included 52 patients with an allergy history and 36 patients without an allergy history. The groups were similar in age, sex, HPV status, smoking status, and T- and N-stage. Patients with an allergy history (17/52, 32.1%) had a greater ICI response rate than patients without allergy history (4/36, 11.1%) (P = .02). After adjusting for HPV, patients with allergies had 3.93 (1.19-13.00) times increased odds of ICI response compared to patients without allergies. The median progression-free survival was 6.0 and 4.2 months for patients with and without an allergy history respectively (log-rank, P = .04). The median overall survival was 25.0 and 11.1 months for patients with and without an allergy history respectively (log-rank, P = .002). CONCLUSION: Patient-reported allergy history was associated with ICI response in patients with RMHNSCC, underscoring the potential clinical utility of allergy history in estimating ICI response.

Neoadjuvant Nivolumab Plus Chemotherapy Followed By Response-Adaptive Therapy for HPV+ Oropharyngeal Cancer: OPTIMA II Phase 2 Open-Label Nonrandomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Immune checkpoint inhibitors improve survival in recurrent and/or metastatic head and neck cancer, yet their role in curative human papillomavirus-positive oropharyngeal cancer (HPV+ OPC) remains undefined. Neoadjuvant nivolumab and chemotherapy followed by response-adaptive treatment in HPV+ OPC may increase efficacy while reducing toxicity. Objective: To determine the deep response rate and tolerability of the addition of neoadjuvant nivolumab to chemotherapy followed by response-adapted locoregional therapy (LRT) in patients with HPV+ OPC. Design, Setting, and Participants: This phase 2 nonrandomized clinical trial conducted at a single academic center enrolled 77 patients with locoregionally advanced HPV+ OPC from 2017 to 2020. Data analyses were performed from February 10, 2021, to January 9, 2023. Interventions: Addition of nivolumab to neoadjuvant nab-paclitaxel and carboplatin (studied in the first OPTIMA trial) followed by response-adapted LRT in patients with HPV+ OPC stages III to IV. Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary outcome was deep response rate to neoadjuvant nivolumab plus chemotherapy, defined as the proportion of tumors with 50% or greater shrinkage per the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors 1.1. Secondary outcomes were progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Swallowing function, quality of life, and tissue- and blood-based biomarkers, including programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression and circulating tumor HPV-DNA (ctHPV-DNA), were also evaluated. Results: The 73 eligible patients (median [range] age, 61 [37-82] years; 6 [8.2%] female; 67 [91.8%] male) started neoadjuvant nivolumab and chemotherapy. Deep responses were observed in 51 patients (70.8%; 95% CI, 0.59-0.81). Subsequent risk- and response-adaptive therapy was assigned as follows: group A, single-modality radiotherapy alone or transoral robotic surgery (28 patients); group B, intermediate-dose chemoradiotherapy of 45 to 50 Gray (34 patients); and group C, regular-dose chemoradiotherapy of 70 to 75 Gray (10 patients). Two-year PFS and OS were 90.0% (95% CI, 0.80-0.95) and 91.4% (95% CI, 0.82-0.96), respectively. By response-adapted group, 2-year PFS and OS for group A were 96.4% and 96.4%, and group B, 88.0% and 91.0%, respectively. Lower enteral feeding rates and changes in weight, as well as improved swallowing, were observed among patients who received response-adapted LRT. Pathologic complete response rate among patients who underwent transoral robotic surgery was 67.0%. PD-L1 expression was nonsignificantly higher for deeper responses and improved PFS, and ctHPV-DNA clearance was significantly associated with improved PFS. Conclusions and Relevance: This phase 2 nonrandomized clinical trial found that neoadjuvant nivolumab and chemotherapy followed by response-adapted LRT is feasible and has favorable tolerability, excellent OS, and improved functional outcomes in HPV+ OPC, including among patients with high-risk disease. Moreover, addition of nivolumab may benefit high PD-L1 expressors, and sensitive dynamic biomarkers (eg, ctHPV-DNA) are useful for patient selection. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03107182.

International guidelines for intratumoral and intranodal injection of NBTXR3 nanoparticles in head and neck cancers.

BACKGROUND: An international multidisciplinary panel of experts aimed to provide consensus guidelines describing the optimal intratumoral and intranodal injection of NBTXR3 hafnium oxide nanoparticles in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) of the oral cavity, oropharynx, and cervical lymph nodes and to review data concerning safety, feasibility, and procedural aspects of administration. METHODS: The Delphi method was used to determine consensus. A 4-member steering committee and a 10-member monitoring committee wrote and revised the guidelines, divided into eight sections. An independent 3-member reading committee reviewed the recommendations. RESULTS: After two rounds of voting, strong consensus was obtained on all recommendations. Intratumoral and intranodal injection was deemed feasible. NBTXR3 volume calculation, choice of patients, preparation and injection procedure, potential side effects, post injection, and post treatment follow-up were described in detail. CONCLUSIONS: Best practices for the injection of NBTXR3 were defined, thus enabling international standardization of intratumoral nanoparticle injection.

Effects of vascular endothelial growth factor signaling inhibition on human erythropoiesis.

Inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling increases red blood cell (RBC) counts, and erythropoiesis markers have been proposed to guide antiangiogenic therapy in humans. We analyzed RBC measurements in patients enrolled in three studies: a phase II trial of axitinib in thyroid cancer; a study of sorafenib in advanced solid tumors; and a randomized trial of fluorouracil, hydroxyurea, and radiation with and without bevacizumab for head and neck cancer. In the sorafenib trial, plasma erythropoietin concentrations were measured at baseline, day 8, and day 35. Over the first 84 days of treatment, RBC counts increased for each day on sorafenib (2.7 M/µL [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.5-3.9]) and axitinib (4.3 M/µL [95% CI, 2.2-6.5]). RBCs declined over the first 68 days of cytotoxic chemoradiotherapy alone (-12.8 M/µL per day [95% CI, -15.7 to -9.8]) but less so with added bevacizumab (-7.2 M/µL per day [95% CI, -9.5 to -4.9]). Erythropoietin levels increased, on average, by 9.5 mIU/mL between day 8 and day 35 of sorafenib exposure. No significant relationships between elevations in RBCs and changes in volume status or blood pressure or between elevations in erythropoietin and smoking status were found. VEGF signaling inhibition is associated with increased RBC and erythropoietin production in humans. The effects of these changes are subtle at physiologic doses and are unlikely to be clinically useful biomarkers for guiding the administration of or predicting treatment responses to VEGF pathway inhibitors.

Single sample expression-anchored mechanisms predict survival in head and neck cancer.

Gene expression signatures that are predictive of therapeutic response or prognosis are increasingly useful in clinical care; however, mechanistic (and intuitive) interpretation of expression arrays remains an unmet challenge. Additionally, there is surprisingly little gene overlap among distinct clinically validated expression signatures. These "causality challenges" hinder the adoption of signatures as compared to functionally well-characterized single gene biomarkers. To increase the utility of multi-gene signatures in survival studies, we developed a novel approach to generate "personal mechanism signatures" of molecular pathways and functions from gene expression arrays. FAIME, the Functional Analysis of Individual Microarray Expression, computes mechanism scores using rank-weighted gene expression of an individual sample. By comparing head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) samples with non-tumor control tissues, the precision and recall of deregulated FAIME-derived mechanisms of pathways and molecular functions are comparable to those produced by conventional cohort-wide methods (e.g. GSEA). The overlap of "Oncogenic FAIME Features of HNSCC" (statistically significant and differentially regulated FAIME-derived genesets representing GO functions or KEGG pathways derived from HNSCC tissue) among three distinct HNSCC datasets (pathways:46%, p<0.001) is more significant than the gene overlap (genes:4%). These Oncogenic FAIME Features of HNSCC can accurately discriminate tumors from control tissues in two additional HNSCC datasets (n = 35 and 91, F-accuracy = 100% and 97%, empirical p<0.001, area under the receiver operating characteristic curves = 99% and 92%), and stratify recurrence-free survival in patients from two independent studies (p = 0.0018 and p = 0.032, log-rank). Previous approaches depending on group assignment of individual samples before selecting features or learning a classifier are limited by design to discrete-class prediction. In contrast, FAIME calculates mechanism profiles for individual patients without requiring group assignment in validation sets. FAIME is more amenable for clinical deployment since it translates the gene-level measurements of each given sample into pathways and molecular function profiles that can be applied to analyze continuous phenotypes in clinical outcome studies (e.g. survival time, tumor volume).