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...