Neoadjuvant immunotherapy with nivolumab and ipilimumab induces major pathological responses in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Surgery for locoregionally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) results in 30‒50% five-year overall survival. In IMCISION (NCT03003637), a non-randomized phase Ib/IIa trial, 32 HNSCC patients are treated with 2 doses (in weeks 1 and 3) of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) using nivo...

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Published inNature communications Vol. 12; no. 1; p. 7348
Main Authors Vos, Joris L., Elbers, Joris B. W., Krijgsman, Oscar, Traets, Joleen J. H., Qiao, Xiaohang, van der Leun, Anne M., Lubeck, Yoni, Seignette, Iris M., Smit, Laura A., Willems, Stefan M., van den Brekel, Michiel W. M., Dirven, Richard, Baris Karakullukcu, M., Karssemakers, Luc, Klop, W. Martin C., Lohuis, Peter J. F. M., Schreuder, Willem H., Smeele, Ludi E., van der Velden, Lilly-Ann, Bing Tan, I., Onderwater, Suzanne, Jasperse, Bas, Vogel, Wouter V., Al-Mamgani, Abrahim, Keijser, Astrid, van der Noort, Vincent, Broeks, Annegien, Hooijberg, Erik, Peeper, Daniel S., Schumacher, Ton N., Blank, Christian U., de Boer, Jan Paul, Haanen, John B. A. G., Zuur, Charlotte L.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Nature Publishing Group UK 22.12.2021
Nature Publishing Group
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Summary:Surgery for locoregionally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) results in 30‒50% five-year overall survival. In IMCISION (NCT03003637), a non-randomized phase Ib/IIa trial, 32 HNSCC patients are treated with 2 doses (in weeks 1 and 3) of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) using nivolumab (NIVO MONO, n = 6, phase Ib arm A) or nivolumab plus a single dose of ipilimumab (COMBO, n = 26, 6 in phase Ib arm B, and 20 in phase IIa) prior to surgery. Primary endpoints are feasibility to resect no later than week 6 (phase Ib) and primary tumor pathological response (phase IIa). Surgery is not delayed or suspended for any patient in phase Ib, meeting the primary endpoint. Grade 3‒4 immune-related adverse events are seen in 2 of 6 (33%) NIVO MONO and 10 of 26 (38%) total COMBO patients. Pathological response, defined as the %-change in primary tumor viable tumor cell percentage from baseline biopsy to on-treatment resection, is evaluable in 17/20 phase IIa patients and 29/32 total trial patients (6/6 NIVO MONO, 23/26 COMBO). We observe a major pathological response (MPR, 90‒100% response) in 35% of patients after COMBO ICB, both in phase IIa (6/17) and in the whole trial (8/23), meeting the phase IIa primary endpoint threshold of 10%. NIVO MONO’s MPR rate is 17% (1/6). None of the MPR patients develop recurrent HSNCC during 24.0 months median postsurgical follow-up. FDG-PET-based total lesion glycolysis identifies MPR patients prior to surgery. A baseline AID/APOBEC-associated mutational profile and an on-treatment decrease in hypoxia RNA signature are observed in MPR patients. Our data indicate that neoadjuvant COMBO ICB is feasible and encouragingly efficacious in HNSCC. Immune checkpoint blockade has become standard care for patients with recurrent metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Here the authors present the results of a non-randomized phase Ib/IIa trial, reporting safety and efficacy of neoadjuvant nivolumab monotherapy and nivolumab plus ipilimumab prior to standard-of-care surgery in patients with HNSCC. .
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ISSN:2041-1723
2041-1723
DOI:10.1038/s41467-021-26472-9