Breakthrough Immunotherapy doubles Progression-Free Survival in Advanced Head and Neck Cancer
Recife, Brazil – A newly approved immunotherapy, pembrolizumab (marketed as Pembro by MSD), is offering renewed hope for patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer, dramatically extending the time before the disease returns or worsens, according to results from the pivotal KEYNOTE-689 study. The approval marks a significant shift in treatment paradigms, offering a potentially less-mutilating alternative to traditional approaches.
Currently, the cornerstone of head and neck cancer treatment is surgical removal of the tumor. However, the location of thes cancers – encompassing the mouth, throat, and surrounding areas – often makes complete surgical resection challenging. Critical structures like blood vessels, the trachea, and esophagus lie in close proximity, potentially leading to disfigurement and functional impairment even with skilled surgeons like Dr. Fatima matos of the Real Portuguese Hospital in Recife, Pernambuco.
“The mission is always extremely delicate,” explains Dr. Matos, a former president of the Brazilian Society of Head and Neck Surgery. “Sometimes the scalpel simply cannot remove everything.”
The new treatment targets locally advanced cancers – those that haven’t spread to distant parts of the body but have grown into nearby tissues or lymph nodes. Approximately 80% of head and neck cancer diagnoses in brazil, both in public and private healthcare systems, occur at this locally advanced stage. With roughly 15,000 new cases of mouth cancer alone diagnosed annually in Brazil (making it the eighth most frequent malignant tumor in the country, according to the National Cancer Institute – Inca), the impact of this approval is substantial.
Previously, pembrolizumab was reserved for head and neck cancers that were refractory to other treatments or had already metastasized. Now, the KEYNOTE-689 study demonstrates that pembrolizumab can “give a stunning shake” to the immune system, activating defense cells to recognize and fight the cancer. Specifically, the study showed the immunotherapy doubles the time until disease progression or recurrence.
“Pembro” has already received 39 approvals for use in other cancers, including melanoma, breast, lung, and bladder cancer. This expanded approval for locally advanced head and neck cancer represents a major advancement, offering a potentially life-extending and less invasive treatment option for a significant number of patients.
