Dataset Information

Concurrent Definitive Immunoradiotherapy for Patients with Stage III-IV Head and Neck Cancer and Cisplatin Contraindication.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Although cisplatin plus radiotherapy is a standard treatment of locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LA-HNSCC), cisplatin contraindication is common. Radiation elicits and promotes tumor-directed immune stimulation, which may potentiate anti-PD-1 therapy. We provide the first efficacy report of combined pembrolizumab and definitive radiotherapy in LA-HNSCC.

Patients and methods

This single-arm, multi-institution, phase II study (NCT02609503) enrolled 29 cisplatin-ineligible patients. Patients received radiotherapy concurrently with three cycles of pembrolizumab 200 mg every 3 weeks followed by three adjuvant cycles. The primary endpoint was a progression-free survival (PFS) of ?16 months. Correlative studies included peripheral blood flow cytometry and Luminex cytokine profiling.

Results

Reasons for cisplatin ineligibility included otopathy (69.0%), nephropathy (20.7%), and neuropathy (6.9%). With median follow-up of 21 months, estimated 24-month PFS and overall survival rates were 71% (95% confidence interval, 49%-84%) and 75% (51%-88%). The primary PFS endpoint has exceeded the hypothesis and its median has not been reached. Toxicities were typical of radiotherapy; however, high rates of grade 3/4 lymphopenia (58.6%) were observed. Flow cytometry revealed a relative decline in CD4 T cells and B cells, but not CD8 T cells. Upon treatment, frequencies of transitional B cells and tissue-like memory B cells increased, while resting memory B cells decreased. Patients with progression had greater percentages of baseline naïve B cells and fewer marginal zone B cells.

Conclusions

Pembrolizumab and radiotherapy is efficacious in LA-HNSCC and should be evaluated in a randomized trial. The observed changes in B-cell markers deserve further study both as potential biomarkers and as therapeutic targets.

SUBMITTER: Weiss J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7968114 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Concurrent Definitive Immunoradiotherapy for Patients with Stage III-IV Head and Neck Cancer and Cisplatin Contraindication.

Weiss Jared J Sheth Siddharth S Deal Allison M AM Grilley Olson Juneko E JE Patel Samip S Hackman Trevor G TG Blumberg Jeffrey M JM Galloway Thomas J TJ Patel Shetal S Zanation Adam M AM Shen Colette J CJ Hayes D Neil DN Hilliard Christopher C Mehra Ranee R McKinnon Karen P KP Wang Hsing-Hui HH Weissler Mark Christian MC Bauman Jessica R JR Chera Bhishamjit S BS Vincent Benjamin G BG

Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research 20200505 16

<h4>Purpose</h4>Although cisplatin plus radiotherapy is a standard treatment of locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LA-HNSCC), cisplatin contraindication is common. Radiation elicits and promotes tumor-directed immune stimulation, which may potentiate anti-PD-1 therapy. We provide the first efficacy report of combined pembrolizumab and definitive radiotherapy in LA-HNSCC.<h4>Patients and methods</h4>This single-arm, multi-institution, phase II study (NCT02609503) enrolled 29 ...[more]

PMID: 32371539

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Project description:PurposeCombining cisplatin or cetuximab with radiation improves overall survival (OS) of patients with stage III or IV head and neck carcinoma (HNC). Cetuximab plus platinum regimens also increase OS in metastatic HNC. The Radiation Therapy Oncology Group launched a phase III trial to test the hypothesis that adding cetuximab to the radiation-cisplatin platform improves progression-free survival (PFS).Patients and methodsEligible patients with stage III or IV HNC were randomly assigned to receive radiation and cisplatin without (arm A) or with (arm B) cetuximab. Acute and late reactions were scored using Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (version 3). Outcomes were correlated with patient and tumor features and markers.ResultsOf 891 analyzed patients, 630 were alive at analysis (median follow-up, 3.8 years). Cetuximab plus cisplatin-radiation, versus cisplatin-radiation alone, resulted in more frequent interruptions in radiation therapy (26.9% v. 15.1%, respectively); similar cisplatin delivery (mean, 185.7 mg/m2 v. 191.1 mg/m2, respectively); and more grade 3 to 4 radiation mucositis (43.2% v. 33.3%, respectively), rash, fatigue, anorexia, and hypokalemia, but not more late toxicity. No differences were found between arms A and B in 30-day mortality (1.8% v. 2.0%, respectively; P = .81), 3-year PFS (61.2% v. 58.9%, respectively; P = .76), 3-year OS (72.9% v. 75.8%, respectively; P = .32), locoregional failure (19.9% v. 25.9%, respectively; P = .97), or distant metastasis (13.0% v. 9.7%, respectively; P = .08). Patients with p16-positive oropharyngeal carcinoma (OPC), compared with patients with p16-negative OPC, had better 3-year probability of PFS (72.8% v. 49.2%, respectively; P < .001) and OS (85.6% v. 60.1%, respectively; P < .001), but tumor epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression did not distinguish outcome.ConclusionAdding cetuximab to radiation-cisplatin did not improve outcome and hence should not be prescribed routinely. PFS and OS were higher in patients with p16-positive OPC, but outcomes did not differ by EGFR expression.

Dataset Information

Concurrent Definitive Immunoradiotherapy for Patients with Stage III-IV Head and Neck Cancer and Cisplatin Contraindication.

Purpose

Patients and methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Concurrent Definitive Immunoradiotherapy for Patients with Stage III-IV Head and Neck Cancer and Cisplatin Contraindication.

Similar Datasets

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