Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Alone or Combined with EGFR-Directed Targeted Therapy or Anti-PD-1 Immunotherapy for Locally Advanced Lacrimal Sac and Nasolacrimal Duct Carcinomas.

Background/aims: We describe our findings in patients with locally advanced lacrimal sac and nasolacrimal duct (NLD) carcinoma who received neoadjuvant systemic therapy.

Methods: We identified patients with locally advanced primary lacrimal sac/NLD carcinoma treated with neoadjuvant systemic intravenous therapy at our institution during 2017-2019.

Results: The study included seven patients, four men and three women; the mean age was 60.

Tumor- and circulating-free DNA methylation identifies clinically relevant small cell lung cancer subtypes.

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive malignancy composed of distinct transcriptional subtypes, but implementing subtyping in the clinic has remained challenging, particularly due to limited tissue availability. Given the known epigenetic regulation of critical SCLC transcriptional programs, we hypothesized that subtype-specific patterns of DNA methylation could be detected in tumor or blood from SCLC patients. Using genomic-wide reduced-representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS) in two cohorts totaling 179 SCLC patients and using machine learning approaches, we report a highly accurate DNA methylation-based classifier (SCLC-DMC) that can distinguish SCLC subtypes.

New and emerging drugs for the treatment of advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

Introduction: Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) is the second most common form of human cancer. Treatment of locally advanced and/or recurrent CSCC is often challenging. A subset of patients are not candidates for curative-intent therapies due to extent of loco-regional disease, refractoriness to prior local therapy, or presence of distant metastasis.

Metastatic Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma: Genomic Landscape and Emerging Treatments.

Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is a heterogeneous cancer that commonly develops in the salivary glands. Approximately 40 to 50% of patients with ACC develop recurrence and/or metastasis. Although most patients with ACC have slow-growing disease, a subset experiences aggressive disease with early visceral and/or bone metastasis.

Treatment of Recurrent or Metastatic Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma.

Purpose Of Review: Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is a rare and heterogeneous malignancy of secretory glands. Recurrence after curative-intent treatment is common, and approximately 40% of patients develop metastatic disease, for which consensus is lacking regarding therapeutic approaches. Here, we review the available therapies for recurrent/metastatic (R/M) ACC and offer our perspectives on future treatment options.

ISA101 and nivolumab for HPV-16 cancer: updated clinical efficacy and immune correlates of response.

Background: The combination of ISA101, a human papilloma virus (HPV) 16 peptide vaccine, and nivolumab showed a promising response rate of 33% in patients with incurable HPV-16 cancer. Here we report long-term clinical outcomes and immune correlates of response.

Methods: Patients with advanced HPV-16 cancer and less than two prior regimens for recurrence were enrolled to receive ISA101 (100 µg/peptide) on days 1, 22, and 50 and nivolumab 3 mg/kg every 2 weeks beginning day 8 for up to 1 year.

Pembrolizumab in the first-line treatment of advanced head and neck cancer.

Introduction: Recurrent or metastatic (R/M) head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is associated with dismal prognosis and has limited therapeutic options. PD-1/PD-L1 axis blockade was initially shown to improve outcomes in platinum-refractory HNSCC. More recently, pembrolizumab monotherapy or pembrolizumab combined with chemotherapy resulted in better overall survival than platinum, 5-fluorouracil, and cetuximab (EXTREME regimen) as first-line therapy for R/M HNSCC, establishing a new standard-of-care therapy for this disease.