Prognostic factors in advanced incurable HNSCC patients on palliative-intent immunotherapy-based regimen

Locally advanced unresectable or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma carries a poor prognosis with limited palliative systemic treatment options. We sought to evaluate clinic-pathological characteristics associated with favorable responses to palliative-intent immunotherapy.

A retrospective cohort study was conducted of adult patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous (rmHNSCC) cell carcinoma at the Juravinski Cancer Center from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2022. Baseline demographic and disease characteristics, treatment delivered, and outcome data were collected.

A total of 96 patients were identified. Median age was 61 years (75.9% male). The most common primary was oropharyngeal. The majority of patients were platinum-ineligible or refractory (61.5%). The median overall survival was 12.6 months (95% CI 6.3-15.4), and median PFS was 5.3 months (95% CI 3.8-7.8). After univariate and multivariate analyses, the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), albumin, and BMI were identified as independently significant prognostic factors for survival.

SII, albumin, and BMI were the strongest independent prognostic factors of overall survival in rmHNSCC patients treated with palliative immunotherapy. Future validation studies would be important, given these are inexpensive, noninvasive tests and may be potentially modifiable patient factors.