OncoLogue Thoracic: Improving Treatment of Recurrent/Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck With Targeted Agents - Robert Haddad, MD

In 2008, approximately 47,000 patients in the United States were diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN), and over 11,000 patients were expected to die from this disease. Patients presenting with stage III/IV disease have reduced odds of being cured with surgery and/or chemoradiation. About 70% will relapse with locoregionally recurrent and/or metastatic disease. Traditionally, these patients have been treated with monochemotherapy or polychemotherapy regimens including platinum agents. Although polychemotherapy has yielded higher response rates than single-agent chemotherapy, this approach has not improved survival, and associated toxicities are significant; patients treated with these regimens have a median overall survival of 6-9 months. With an increased understanding of the molecular characteristics associated with SCCHN, targeted agents, including monoclonal antibodies and small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors directed at the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and angiogenic signaling pathways, have been successfully incorporated into treatment paradigms. Completed and ongoing trials have evaluated EGFR and vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) inhibitors alone, as dual therapy, and in various combination regimens with chemotherapy. Furthermore, the clinical benefit of taxane regimens has been realized in recent years, and combinations of taxanes with targeted agents are actively being investigated. The purpose of this activity is to inform physicians of recent advancements with agents targeting the EGFR and VEGF signaling pathways in addition to regimens that combine taxanes with EGFR inhibitors in order to improve the management of patients with recurrent and/or metastatic SCCHN.

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Blip | May 27, 2009

Tags:. .recurrent. .receptor. .vascular. .haddad. .median