Targeted therapies and immune-checkpoint inhibition in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma : where do we stand today and where to go?

  • With an increased understanding of the tumor biology of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN), targeted therapies have found their way into the clinical treatment routines against this entity. Nevertheless, to date platinum-based cytostatic agents remain the first line choice and targeting the epidermal growth factor-receptor (EGFR) with combined cetuximab and radiation therapy remains the only targeted therapy approved in the curative setting. Investigation of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), such as antibodies targeting programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and its ligand PD-L1, resulted in a change of paradigms in oncology and in the first approval of new drugs for treating SCCHN. Nivolumab and pembrolizumab, two anti-PD-1 antibodies, were the first agents shown to improve overall survival for patients with metastatic/recurrent tumors in recent years. Currently, several clinical trials investigate the role of ICI in different therapeutic settings. A robust set of biomarkers will be an inevitable tool for future individualized treatment approaches including radiation dose de-escalation and escalation strategies. This review aims to summarize achieved goals, the current status and future perspectives regarding targeted therapies and ICI in the management of SCCHN.

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Author:Jens Müller-von der GrünORCiDGND, Franz RödelORCiDGND, Christian Hubertus BrandtsORCiDGND, Emmanouil FokasORCiDGND, Matthias GuckenbergerORCiDGND, Claus RödelORCiDGND, Panagiotis BalermpasORCiDGND
URN:urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-500812
DOI:https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers11040472
ISSN:2072-6694
Pubmed Id:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30987257
Parent Title (English):Cancers
Publisher:MDPI
Place of publication:Basel
Document Type:Article
Language:English
Year of Completion:2019
Date of first Publication:2019/04/03
Publishing Institution:Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg
Release Date:2019/05/09
Tag:EGFR; TKI; head and neck cancer; immune-checkpoint inhibition; mTOR; targeted therapy
Volume:11
Issue:4, Art. 472
Page Number:23
First Page:1
Last Page:23
Note:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).
HeBIS-PPN:450699935
Institutes:Medizin / Medizin
Dewey Decimal Classification:6 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften / 61 Medizin und Gesundheit / 610 Medizin und Gesundheit
Sammlungen:Universitätspublikationen
Licence (German):License LogoCreative Commons - Namensnennung 4.0