January 28, 2026

Neoadjuvant Combination Immunotherapy for Head and Neck Cancer

A combination of two immunotherapies may improve treatment response among patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinomas compared with just one immunotherapy drug.

The ASCO Post

January 28, 2026

Updated CAP Guideline Aims to Address Rising Rates of HPV-Associated Squamous Cell Carcinomas

The College of American Pathologists (CAP) updated its testing guideline to capture new research and emerging technologies to improve the diagnostic accuracy of human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated o...

The ASCO Post

January 28, 2026

Addition of Perioperative Pembrolizumab to Standard of Care in Newly Diagnosed Locally Advanced Head and Neck Cancer

In the phase III KEYNOTE-689 trial, perioperative use of a PD-1 inhibitor given with standard therapy significantly improved event-free survival in newly diagnosed, previously untreated patients with ...

The ASCO Post

January 28, 2026

Nivolumab Added to Chemoradiotherapy Reduced Recurrence Risk in High-Risk Head and Neck Cancer

Adding the PD-1 inhibitor nivolumab to standard chemoradiotherapy after surgery significantly reduced recurrence rates for patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma who are ...

The ASCO Post

January 28, 2026

Concurrent vs Sequential Pembrolizumab With Chemoradiation in Locally Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

In a phase II trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Zandberg et al compared sequential vs concurrent pembrolizumab with chemoradiotherapy in patients with locally advanced head and neck ...

The ASCO Post

March 12, 2024

HPV-Associated Oropharyngeal Cancer: Intratreatment FDG-PET Response as a Biomarker for De-escalation of Radiotherapy

The use of imaging midtreatment for HPV-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma may guide the use of deintensified chemoradiotherapy, according to a phase II study presented at the 2024 Multi...

The ASCO Post

September 14, 2023

Pembrolizumab Plus Chemoradiation Therapy Falls Short in Locally Advanced Head and Neck Cancer

Pembrolizumab plus chemoradiation therapy failed to demonstrate a statistically significant improvement in event-free survival vs chemoradiation therapy alone in patients with locally advanced head an...

The ASCO Post

September 26, 2023

Personalized Biomarker-Based Umbrella Trial in Recurrent or Metastatic HNSCC

Learn more about the results of a personalized biomarker-driven umbrella trial for the treatment of patients with platinum-refractory recurrent and/or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma ...

The ASCO Post

June 13, 2025

FDA Approves Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Drug for Patients With Resectable Locally Advanced Head and Neck Cancer

Pembrolizumab, an immune checkpoint inhibitor, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of patients with resectable locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma whose tumors express PD-L1 [Combined Positive Score (CPS) ?1] as determined by an FDA-approved test.

Dana-Farber