[Systemic therapy for head and neck cancer-highlights of the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting].

Abstract

Background: Systemic therapy of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), in contrast to local therapy, is a very general term for the use of drugs that affect the entire organism. Immunotherapy is a subtype of systemic therapy, although the boundaries are hard to define, since the immune system is likely to play an essential role in all treatments. This article focuses on systemic therapy.

Materials and methods: All abstracts and presentations on systemic therapy of HNSCC from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2024 annual congress were assessed for relevance. The main contributions were reviewed and summarized.

Results: For the first time, a randomized trial demonstrated a survival advantage for systemic therapy in patients with a poor performance status over best supportive care (BSC). Clinical studies using antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) show a promising response. In addition, the neoadjuvant approach was resumed through various study approaches.

Conclusion: Even in patients with a reduced general condition, systemic therapy can lead to a substantial improvement in overall survival. The systemic therapy approach remains exciting for HNSCC, with new substances and areas of application not only in the palliative situation.