Molecular targeted therapy of head and neck cancer: review and clinical development challenges

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Molecular Biology
• Cancer Research

Background:

• Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) exhibit key targets involved in tumor progression and metastasis.
• Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is the first target with an approved molecular therapy, cetuximab, for HNSCC.
• Cetuximab is approved for locally advanced and platinum-refractory recurrent or metastatic (R/M) HNSCC.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review novel targeted anticancer agents for HNSCC that do not solely target EGFR.
• To discuss the potential of evaluating these agents in different treatment settings.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of novel targeted agents in HNSCC.
• Analysis of current treatment paradigms and proposed alternative settings for evaluation.

Main Results:

• Initial assessments of novel agents in heavily pre-treated R/M HNSCC patients show disappointing response rates and progression times.
• Novel agents may benefit from evaluation in pre-operative 'window' settings or as first-line therapy for R/M disease.

Conclusions:

• Novel targeted therapies beyond EGFR inhibitors are being developed for HNSCC.
• Optimizing the evaluation setting for novel agents is crucial for understanding their true molecular and clinical efficacy in HNSCC.