Can Adjuvant Atezolizumab Improve Outcomes in Locally Advanced Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck?

A third trial demonstrates no benefit from adding an immune checkpoint inhibitor to definitive multimodality therapy in this setting.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been shown to improve survival in patients with recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN), but their use in locally advanced SCCHN has been less successful. Two previous clinical trials evaluating the addition of ICIs to concurrent definitive chemoradiation failed to demonstrate improvements in progression-free or event-free survival (EFS; Lancet Oncol 2021; 22:450, Lancet Oncol 2024; 25:572). Now, investigators report results from a study of adjuvant ICI therapy.

In this multinational, phase 3 trial, 406 patients who had undergone multimodal definitive treatment for high-risk locally advanced SCCHN were randomized to receive either atezolizumab (1200 mg) or plac…

Reviewing Author

Hyunseok Kang, MD, MPH, FACP

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardPIN Therapeutics; Bayer; Remix Therapeutics; MitoImmune; LG Chem; Coherus; Hanmi Pharma

RoyaltiesBMJ Publishing

Grant/Research SupportNRG Oncology

Editorial BoardsHead and Neck; Cancer Medicine; Korean Journal of Head and Neck Oncology