Video

Dr. Burtness on Findings of KEYNOTE-048 in Head and Neck Cancer

Barbara Burtness, MD, professor of medicine, Yale Cancer Center, discusses findings from the KEYNOTE-048 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Barbara Burtness, MD, professor of medicine, Yale Cancer Center, discusses findings from the KEYNOTE-048 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Interim findings from the phase III KEYNOTE-048 trial presented at the 2018 ESMO Congress showed that frontline pembrolizumab (Keytruda) monotherapy improved overall survival and duration of response versus standard therapy in patients with PD-L1—positive recurrent or metastatic HNSCC. There was not a similar improvement in progression-free survival or overall response rate with the PD-1 inhibitor, though.

This open-label, randomized study evaluated whether pembrolizumab could prolong survival and slow disease progression versus the standard of care EXTREME regimen in the recurrent or metastatic setting. EXTREME consists of platinum-based chemotherapy with cisplatin or carboplatin, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), and cetuximab (Erbitux).

Related Videos
Albert Grinshpun, MD, MSc, head, Breast Oncology Service, Shaare Zedek Medical Center
Erica L. Mayer, MD, MPH, director, clinical research, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; associate professor, medicine, Harvard Medical School
Stephanie Graff, MD, and Chandler Park, FACP
Mariya Rozenblit, MD, assistant professor, medicine (medical oncology), Yale School of Medicine
Maxwell Lloyd, MD, clinical fellow, medicine, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Neil Iyengar, MD, and Chandler Park, MD, FACP
Azka Ali, MD, medical oncologist, Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute
Rena Callahan, MD, and Chandler Park, MD, FACP
Hope S. Rugo, MD, FASCO, Winterhof Family Endowed Professor in Breast Cancer, professor, Department of Medicine (Hematology/Oncology), director, Breast Oncology and Clinical Trials Education; medical director, Cancer Infusion Services; the University of California San Francisco Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
Virginia Kaklamani, MD, DSc, professor, medicine, Division of Hematology-Medical Oncology, The University of Texas (UT) Health Science Center San Antonio; leader, breast cancer program, Mays Cancer Center, UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center