Radiotherapy With Adjuvant Durvalumab No Benefit for Head, Neck Cancer
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, Dec. 9, 2024 -- For patients with locoregionally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) with a contraindication for cisplatin, radiotherapy with adjuvant durvalumab does not improve outcomes over radiotherapy with cetuximab, according to a study published online in the December issue of The Lancet Oncology.
Loren K. Mell, M.D., from the University of California San Diego in La Jolla, and colleagues conducted a randomized phase 2/phase 3 trial to examine whether radiotherapy with concurrent and adjuvant durvalumab would improve outcomes compared to radiotherapy with cetuximab among eligible patients with stage III to IVB p16-negative HNSCC or unfavorable stage I to III p16-positive oropharyngeal or unknown primary carcinoma with a contraindication to cisplatin.
The researchers of the phase 2 trial randomly assigned 186 patients: 123 to durvalumab and 63 to cetuximab. Following an interim futility analysis, phase 2 accrual was suspended and then permanently closed. The phase 3 part of the trial was not performed. The researchers found that at a median follow-up of 2.3 years, two-year progression-free survival was 50.6 and 63.7 percent in the durvalumab and cetuximab groups, respectively (hazard ratio, 1.33; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.84 to 2.12). The groups had similar adverse events.
"The final phase 2 results did not show a statistically significant signal of efficacy of durvalumab and radiotherapy," the authors write. "These findings are consistent with the results of other trials indicating a lack of benefit of immune checkpoint inhibitors compared with cetuximab in patients with HNSCC who are ineligible for cisplatin."
Several authors disclosed ties to biopharmaceutical companies, including AstraZeneca, which manufactures durvalumab and partially funded the study.
Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted December 2024
Read this next
Harmonic-to-Noise Ratio Could Identify Early Laryngeal Cancer
TUESDAY, Aug. 12, 2025 -- Acoustic features, specifically harmonic-to-noise ratio (HNR) and its variability, could be promising for early detection of vocal fold lesions...
Cannabis Use Disorder Linked to Increased Risk for Oral Cancer
FRIDAY, Aug. 1, 2025 -- Cannabis use disorder (CUD) is associated with an increased risk for oral cancer, according to a study published in the September issue of Preventive...
Low Rates of Isolated Locoregional Recurrence Seen in Young Women With Breast Cancer
TUESDAY, July 29, 2025 -- For women diagnosed with breast cancer at age 40 years or younger, the risk for isolated locoregional recurrence (LRR) is relatively low, according to a...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.