Dr. Seiwert on Advice With Immunotherapy for Head and Neck Cancer

Tanguy I. Seiwert, MD, assistant professor of Medicine, University of Chicago Medicine, gives advice to community oncologists on administering immunotherapy to patients with head and neck cancer.

In general, these PD-1 agents are well tolerated. It is reasonable to start using them in patients earlier in the disease course as they have a survival benefit, Seiwert explains. Moreover, he adds, it is important to provide access to these treatments broadly across the country.

Simultaneously, there is also a significant unmet need for this patient population. This is because many patients will progress on PD-1 therapy, and Seiwert encourages patients to go on a clinical trial or back to chemotherapy; however, he adds, chemotherapy is not an ideal choice.