Table 2.
FDA-approved immune-checkpoint inhibitors in HNC.
| Cancer | Immunotherapy | Indication | Required Diagnostic Testing |
|---|---|---|---|
| HNSCC | Pembrolizumab (Anti-PD-1 Mab) | 1st line with FU/platinum-based therapy for treatment naïve R/M | None |
| 1st line for R/M with PD-L1 [CPS ≥1] expression | PD-L1 (+) Expression with CPS ≥ 1% | ||
| 2nd line for R/M after progression on platinum-based therapy | None | ||
| Nivolumab (Anti-PD-1 Mab) |
2nd line for R/M after progression on platinum-based therapy | ||
| MCC | Pembrolizumab (Anti-PD-1 Mab) | 1st line for R/M | |
| Avelumab (Anti-PD-L1 Mab) |
1st line for M | ||
| cSCC | Cemiplimab-rwlc (Anti-PD-1 Mab) | 1st line for LA/M | |
| Melanoma | Nivolumab (Anti-PD1 Mab) | 1st line for LA/M BRAF-WT and BRAF-MT | |
| Adjuvant tx for LN mets/M after primary resection | |||
| Nivolumab (Anti-PD1 Mab) +Ipilimumab (Anti-CTLA-4 Mab) |
1st line for LA/M BRAF-WT or BRAF-MT | ||
| Ipilimumab (Anti-CTLA-4 Mab) |
1st line for LA/M | ||
| Adjuvant tx for LN mets after primary resection and lymphadenectomy | |||
| Pembrolizumab (Anti-PD-1 Mab) | 1st line for LA/M melanoma | ||
| Adjuvant tx for LN mets after complete resection |
Abbreviations: BRAF mutant type (BRAF-MT); BRAF wild-type (BRAF-WT); combined positive score (CPS); cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC); fluorouracil (FU); head and neck cancer (HNC); head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC); locally advanced unresectable disease (LA); Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC); metastatic disease (M); not applicable (N/A); programmed-death receptor 1 (PD-1); programmed-death ligand 1 (PD-L1); recurrent and unresectable disease (R).