Recurrent or Metastatic Hypopharyngeal Cancer After Platinum-Based Chemotherapy

This protocol addresses recurrent or metastatic hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma in patients who have progressed following platinum-based chemotherapy and have not previously received immunotherapy.

Clinical Scenario

Patients in this setting are immunotherapy-naïve and were pretreated with platinum-based chemotherapy within the last 6 months — delivered either as palliative treatment or as part of multimodal curative therapy. Progression within this 6-month window is the defining eligibility criterion for this protocol.

Treatment Approach (Partial Overview)

For eligible patients, the standard approach centres on immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy, which has demonstrated an overall survival benefit over conventional single-agent alternatives in this clinical context. When checkpoint inhibitor therapy is contraindicated, other systemic options are available. The complete regimen selection, full criteria, and sequencing algorithm are provided in the structured protocol.

Complete regimen details, dosing, and eligibility criteria are available behind the link below.

Instant Access to Structured Evidence-Based Regimens

References

DOI: 10.1016/j.annonc.2020.07.011

Pretreated with platinum-based ChT within the last 6 months and immunotherapy-naïve.
For patients who progress within 6 months of platinum therapy, given either as palliative treatment or with multimodal curative treatment, nivolumab has been shown to improve OS compared with single-agent systemic treatment (cetuximab, docetaxel or methotrexate): 7.5 versus 5.1 months (CheckMate 141).
Nivolumab [I, A; MCBS 4] or pembrolizumab [I, A; MCBS 4].
Taxane or methotrexate or cetuximab and/or BSC if contraindication to immunotherapy [III, C].
Nivolumab is both FDA- and EMA-approved for recurrent/metastatic patients who progress within 6 months of platinum therapy [I, A; ESMO-MCBS v1.1 score: 4].

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