In:
Clinical Cancer Research, American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), Vol. 27, No. 16 ( 2021-08-15), p. 4557-4565
Abstract:
In locoregionally advanced, resectable cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (CSCC-HN), surgery followed by radiotherapy is standard but can be cosmetically and functionally devastating, and many patients will have recurrence. Patients and Methods: Newly diagnosed or recurrent stage III–IVA CSCC-HN patients amenable to curative-intent surgery received two cycles of neoadjuvant PD-1 inhibition. The primary endpoint was ORR per RECIST 1.1. Secondary endpoints included pathologic response [pathologic complete response (pCR) or major pathologic response (MPR; ≤10% viable tumor)], safety, DSS, DFS, and OS. Exploratory endpoints included immune biomarkers of response. Results: Of 20 patients enrolled, 7 had recurrent disease. While only 6 patients [30%; 95% confidence interval (CI), 11.9–54.3] had partial responses by RECIST, 15 patients (75%; 95% CI, 50.9–91.3) had a pCR (n = 11) or MPR (n = 4). No SAEs ocurred during or after the neoadjuvant treatment. At a median follow-up of 22.6 months (95% CI, 21.7–26.1), one patient progressed and died, one died without disease, and two developed recurrence. The 12-month DSS, DFS, and OS rates were 95% (95% CI, 85.9–100), 89.5% (95% CI, 76.7–100), and 95% (95% CI, 85.9–100), respectively. Gene expression studies revealed an inflamed tumor microenvironment in patients with pCR or MPR, and CyTOF analyses demonstrated a memory CD8+ T-cell cluster enriched in patients with pCR. Conclusions: Neoadjuvant immunotherapy in locoregionally advanced, resectable CSCC-HN is safe and induces a high pathologic response rate. Pathologic responses were associated with an inflamed tumor microenvironment.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1078-0432
,
1557-3265
DOI:
10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-21-0585
Language:
English
Publisher:
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
Publication Date:
2021
detail.hit.zdb_id:
1225457-5
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2036787-9
Permalink