Dr. Ferris on a Trial Testing ADU-S100/MIW815/Pembrolizumab in Head and Neck Cancer

Robert L. Ferris, MD, PhD, director of University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Hillman Cancer Center, Hillman Professor of Oncology, associate vice chancellor for cancer research, professor of otolaryngology, immunology, and radiation oncology, co-director, Tumor Microenvironment Center, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, discusses a clinical trial testing ADU-S100/MIW815 plus pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in patients with head and neck cancer.

PD-1 inhibitors are a standard of care for patients with recurrent metastatic head and neck cancer, says Ferris. STING agonists could potentiate the activity of PD-1 inhibitors. To that end, investigators launched the ongoing ADU-CL-20 trial (NCT03937141), which is evaluating the efficacy and safety of combining the STING agonist ADU-S100/MIW815 with pembrolizumab in patients with PD-L1—positive recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

In the trial, patients will receive pembrolizumab intravenously at a standard dose and schedule and ADU-S100/MIW815 intralesionally, concludes Ferris.