Immunotherapy and Biomarker Testing in Recurrent and Metastatic Head and Neck Cancers

Published online before print December 15, 2022. DOI: 10.1200/JCO.22. 02328

Emrullah Yilmaz, Nofisat Ismaila, Julie E. Bauman, Raetasha Dabney,  Gregory Gan, Richard Jordan,  Marnie Kaufman Kedar Kirtane, Sean Matthew McBride, Matthew O. Old, Lisa Rooper, Nabil Saba, Siddharth Sheth, Rathan M. Subramaniam, Trisha Michel Wise-Draper, Deborah Wong, and Loren K. Mell.

Purpose

To provide evidence-based recommendations for practicing physicians and other health care providers on immunotherapy and biomarker testing for head and neck cancers.

Methods

ASCO convened an Expert Panel of medical oncology, surgical oncology, radiation oncology, radiology, pathology, and patient advocacy experts to conduct a literature search, including systematic reviews, meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials, and prospective and retrospective comparative observational studies published from 2000 through 2022. Outcomes of interest included survival, overall response, and locoregional control. Expert Panel members used available evidence and informal consensus to develop evidence-based guideline recommendations.

Results

 The literature search identified 28 relevant studies to inform the evidence base for this guideline

Recommendations

When possible, evidence-based recommendations were developed to address biomarker testing, first-line treatment regimens based on programmed death ligand-1 scores, immunotherapy in platinumrefractory recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, immunotherapy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and radiation therapy in combination with immunotherapy for treatment of local recurrence.

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