[Immunotherapy highlights of the ASCO annual meeting 2018 for head and neck cancers]

Abstract

Background: Immunotherapeutic strategies are becoming increasingly more important for head and neck cancer and numerous clinical trials were presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2018.

Objective: In this review the most interesting clinical trials and trial results for immunotherapy of head and neck cancer are summarized.

Material and methods: All abstracts and presentations on immunotherapy of head and neck cancer at the annual meeting of the ASCO 2018 were screened to select the most interesting trials for a more detailed analysis.

Results: For head and neck cancer, practice changing phase III trial results were missing, but several noteworthy new strategies and trial results for immunotherapy were presented. Neoadjuvant immunotherapy trials, results concerning immunotherapy in old age, prognostic implications of immune-mediated adverse events and new immunotherapy combinations are summarized in this article.

Conclusion: The role of immunotherapy for the treatment of head and neck cancer is markedly increasing. Many pioneering trials are currently ongoing, in the phase of data analysis or in planning.

Keywords: Elderly patients; Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma; Immune-checkpoint; Immunooncology; Quality of life.