St James Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
carolyn moloney , Sue Sukor , Michael Thomas McCarthy , Cliona Grant
Background: Nivolumab received FDA approval as monotherapy for the treatment of recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the head and neck after failure of platinum-based therapy in 2016. This approval was based on CheckMate 141. When patients ultimately relapse after immunotherapy in the second line setting, third line agents include single agent or combination treatment with a Taxane. Methods: We identified patients with metastatic or recurrent squamous cell head and neck cancer in an Irish hospital who had received Taxane chemotherapy after immunotherapy. We looked at outcomes for these patients including progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). We then identified a group of patients who received a Taxane following platinum failure in the pre-Nivolumab era to act as a comparator. Our objective was to compare PFS and OS to subsequent Taxane chemotherapy in the era before and after the introduction of Nivolumab as a therapy for platinum refractory head and neck SCC. Results: This retrospective cohort study was made up of 26 patients with metastatic or recurrent head and neck cancer. Primary sites included oropharynx, oral cavity, larynx and nasal cavity squamous cell cancers. The patients had a median age of 56. 13 of these patients identified had progressed on Nivolumab but remained fit for a next line of treatment. Median PFS in this group on Taxane based chemotherapy in the third line setting was 3.8 months. Median OS post progression on Nivolumab was 10 months. One patient remarkably had a complete response to Paclitaxel chemotherapy after progression on previous lines of treatment including immunotherapy, platinum chemotherapy and radiotherapy. We then identified a group of 13 patients with metastatic or recurrent head and neck cancer that had progressed on platinum based therapy in the era before Nivolumab was available. Median PFS after Taxane second line chemotherapy was 2.2 months. Median OS in this group after progressing on platinum treatment was 5.8 months. Conclusions: We set out to share our experience of real-world outcomes for head and neck cancer patients in the Nivolumab era. We found that our patients have shown to have an improved overall survival benefit with subsequent Taxane chemotherapy after immunotherapy compared to those who have not received immunotherapy. All fit patients should be considered for Taxane therapy post failure of Nivolumab.
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