Immunotherapy Utilization Outcomes in Distantly Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Immunotherapy improves overall survival in some sites of metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
This large population‑based cohort study using the National Cancer Database assessed the routine clinical use of non‑palliative immunotherapy and its impact on overall survival for patients with metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (mHNSCC). Among 5,059 patients, receipt of immunotherapy increased from 9.3 % in 2013 to 33.8 % in 2020. Compared with chemotherapy alone, adding immunotherapy was associated with a modest overall survival benefit (hazard ratio 0.81; 95 % CI, 0.72‑0.91), whereas immunotherapy alone was associated with worse survival (HR 1.25; 95 % CI, 1.08‑1.45). The benefit of combined chemotherapy and immunotherapy was most pronounced for hypopharyngeal, oral cavity, and laryngeal cancers, but not for oropharyngeal cancers.
This finding suggests that adding immunotherapy to standard chemotherapy may modestly extend survival in selected patients with distant‑metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, informing clinical decision‑making outside of clinical trials.
Evidence level: Sejtvonalas. Laboratóriumi sejtekben vizsgálták.
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