Due to intensive treatments, severe side effects, and a high rate of recurrence, oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is a challenging disease associated with poor outcomes. According to a recent study, neoadjuvant nivolumab alone or in combination with ipilimumab may be a safe and effective treatment for patients with oral cavity SCC undergoing surgical resection. In this interview, Jonathan Schoenfeld, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology at Harvard Medical School and first ...

In the neoadjuvant setting, nivolumab alone and in combination with ipilimumab is effective and tolerable for patients with previously untreated squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the oral cavity, according to results of a phase 2 trial. Surgical resection followed by adjuvant treatment is the standard of care for locally advanced oral cavity SCC. However, immunotherapies such as nivolumab and ipilimumab have recently demonstrated potential for tumor debulking in the neoadjuvant setting, thereby i...

​Over 4% of head and neck cancer (HNC) patients who are hospitalized die during their stay in the hospital. How can this number be reduced? In a cross-sectional study recently published in JAMA Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, a research team led by Eric Adjei Boakye, PhD, found that among a variety of other patient- and hospital-related factors, male sex, weekend admissions, and treatment at nonteaching hospitals are associated with increased in-hospital mortality. In this interview with i...

​Along with a variety of other patient- and hospital-related factors, male sex, weekend admissions, and treatment at nonteaching hospitals are associated with increased in-hospital mortality for patients with head and neck cancer, report the authors of a cross-sectional study published today in JAMA Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery. Using the 2008 to 2013 National Inpatient Sample database, the investigators identified adult hospitalized patients diagnosed with either primary or secondary he...

Many cases of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV); however, HNSCCs can be caused by a variety of factors, including p16INK4A inactivation (an inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinase 4A) and overexpression of the oncogene cyclin D1. This results in the stimulation of cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 (CDK4/6). Overexpression of cyclin D1 can also cause resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors. To overcome this resistance, resea...