Multicenter validation of an RNA-based assay to predict anti-PD-1 disease control in patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: the PREDAPT study.

Background: Despite advances in cancer care and detection, >65% of patients with squamous cell cancer of the head and neck (HNSCC) will develop recurrent and/or metastatic disease. The prognosis for these patients is poor with a 5-year overall survival of 39%. Recent treatment advances in immunotherapy, including immune checkpoint inhibitors like pembrolizumab and nivolumab, have resulted in clinical benefit in a subset of patients.

Multidimensional biomarker predicts disease control in response to immunotherapy in recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous-cell carcinoma.

Purpose: Anti-PD-1 therapy provides clinical benefit in 40-50% of patients with relapsed and/or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (RM-HNSCC). Selection of anti- PD-1 therapy is typically based on patient PD-L1 immunohistochemistry (IHC) which has low specificity for predicting disease control. Therefore, there is a critical need for a clinical biomarker that will predict clinical benefit to anti-PD-1 treatment with high specificity.

SEVERE IMMUNE-MEDIATED THROMBOCYTOPENIA AFTER INTRAVITREAL BEVACIZUMAB INJECTION.

Purpose: To report a case of severe immune-mediated thrombocytopenia after intravitreal bevacizumab administration.

Methods: A 77-year-old man with right-sided macular degeneration received intravitreal bevacizumab. After his third treatment dose, he was hospitalized for symptomatic thrombocytopenia (platelet count of 3 k/μL) and underwent testing to determine the etiology.