The use of pembrolizumab monotherapy for the management of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) in the UK.
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Authors
Vasiliadou, I
Grose, D
Wilson, C
Thapa, A
Donnelly, O
Lee, E
Leslie, I
Karim, M
Hartley, A
Partridge, S
Medlow, K
De Boisanger, J
Metcalf, R
Williamson, A
Haridass, A
Noble, D
Mactier, K
Walter, H
Ma, N
De Winton, E
Cohen, J
Rayner, L
Geropantas, K
Jankowska, P
Mason, J
Moleron, R
Laws, K
Ulahannan, D
Nallathambi, C
Michaelidou, A
Nallamilli, S
Raouf, S
Palmer, K
Bienz, M
Karet, T
Khalique, S
Paterson, C
Harrington, K
Bhide, S
Kong, A
Grose, D
Wilson, C
Thapa, A
Donnelly, O
Lee, E
Leslie, I
Karim, M
Hartley, A
Partridge, S
Medlow, K
De Boisanger, J
Metcalf, R
Williamson, A
Haridass, A
Noble, D
Mactier, K
Walter, H
Ma, N
De Winton, E
Cohen, J
Rayner, L
Geropantas, K
Jankowska, P
Mason, J
Moleron, R
Laws, K
Ulahannan, D
Nallathambi, C
Michaelidou, A
Nallamilli, S
Raouf, S
Palmer, K
Bienz, M
Karet, T
Khalique, S
Paterson, C
Harrington, K
Bhide, S
Kong, A
Document Type
Journal Article
Date
2024-09-01
Date Accepted
2024-01-11
Abstract
Pembrolizumab has received approval in the UK as first-line monotherapy for recurrent and/or metastatic HNSCC (R/M HNSCC) following the results of the KEYNOTE-048 trial, which demonstrated a longer overall survival (OS) in comparison to the EXTREME chemotherapy regimen in patients with a combined positive score (CPS) ≥1. In this article, we provide retrospective real-world data on the role of pembrolizumab monotherapy as first-line systemic therapy for HNSCC across 18 centers in the UK from March 20, 2020 to May 31, 2021. 211 patients were included, and in the efficacy analysis, the objective response rate (ORR) was 24.7%, the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 4.8 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.6-6.1), and the median OS was 10.8 months (95% CI 9.0-12.5). Pembrolizumab monotherapy was well tolerated, with 18 patients having to stop treatment owing to immune-related adverse events (irAEs). 53 patients proceeded to second-line treatment with a median PFS2 of 10.2 months (95% CI: 8.8-11.5). Moreover, patients with documented irAEs had a statistically significant longer median PFS (11.3 vs. 3.3 months; log-rank p value = <.001) and median OS (18.8 vs. 8.9 months; log-rank p value <.001). The efficacy and safety of pembrolizumab first-line monotherapy for HNSCC has been validated using real-world data.
Citation
International Journal of Cancer, 2024, 155 (5), pp. 883 - 893
Source Title
International Journal of Cancer
Publisher
WILEY
ISSN
0020-7136
eISSN
1097-0215
1097-0215
1097-0215
Collections
Research Team
Targeted Therapy
Functional Genomics
Functional Genomics