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Dr. Jonas de Souza on the Impact of Pembrolizumab Approval in Head and Neck Cancer

​Jonas de Souza, MD, assistant professor of medicine, University of Chicago, discusses the approval of pembrolizumab for relapsed head and neck cancer patients who are platinum-refractory

Jonas de Souza, MD, assistant professor of medicine, University of Chicago, discusses the approval of pembrolizumab for relapsed head and neck cancer patients who are platinum-refractory.

This was a great addition to the armamentarium for head and neck cancer, says de Souza. Other trials are now assessing additional immunotherapies in the head and neck cancer space.

Pembrolizumab fills a significant unmet need for patients that are refractory to platinum-based chemotherapy, says de Souza. To have a drug that results in less side effects for patients it extremely beneficial, he says.

Pembrolizumab is now being investigated in the frontline setting for metastatic patients.

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