[Medicinal tumor treatment of oropharyngeal cancer]

The number of patients suffering from human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated oropharyngeal cancer has increased in recent decades. To date, the role of medical therapy in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck region has only been established in the refractory or metastatic setting (r/m HNSCC).

What are the current treatment options for patients with r/m HNSCC or r/m oropharyngeal cancer?

A literature search was conducted on systemic treatment of oropharyngeal cancer and r/m HNSCC.

There is currently no standard treatment for patients with oropharyngeal cancer in refractory or metastatic stages. Since 2017, immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors has become increasingly important in the treatment of r/m HNSCC patients. First-line therapy was recently adapted based on the results of the KEYNOTE-48 (KN048) study. For selected patients with r/m HNSCC, there now exists a chemotherapy-free treatment option. Use of immunotherapy also in earlier stages of HNSCC can be expected in the near future.

Medical therapy of r/m HNSCC patients is in a period of great change. Treatment is increasingly based on combination therapy with checkpoint inhibitors.