ArticleCancer research and treatment2021
Outcomes and Biomarkers of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy in Patients with Refractory Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: KCSG HN18-12.
Article in Cancer research and treatment, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 25 citations in OpenAlex.
- Hyperprogressive disease in carcinoma induced by immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy: a systematic review.Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2026Pooled it
- Pretreatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio is associated with immunotherapy efficacy in patients with advanced cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2025Pooled it
- Inflammatory markers as prognostic markers in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in oncology · 2024Pooled it
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of prognostic indicators in patients with head and neck malignancy treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology · 2023Pooled it
- Neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio and platelet-lymphocyte ratio as potential predictive markers of treatment response in cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in oncology · 2023Pooled it
- Review
- Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio: a potential biomarker in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.Frontiers in oncology · 2025Article
- Characterization of macrophages in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and development of MRG-based risk signature.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Article
- Immunotherapy with PD-1 Inhibitor Nivolumab in Recurrent/Metastatic Platinum Refractory Head and Neck Cancers-Early Experiences from Romania and Literature Review.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Diagnostic Predictors of Immunotherapy Response in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Safety and Efficacy of Influenza Vaccination in Patients Receiving Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors. Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.Vaccines · 2022Review
- Identification of Immune-Related LncRNA Pairs for Predicting Prognosis and Immunotherapeutic Response in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.Frontiers in immunology · 2021Article
- Roles of Major RNA Adenosine Modifications in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
14 authors at 13 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
purposeThis study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (R/M HNSCC) after platinum-containing chemotherapy. We also identified clinical biomarkers which may be predictive of patient prognosis. MATERIALS AND
methodsWe analyzed 125 patients with R/M HNSCC who received ICIs, retrospectively. Overall response rate (ORR) was the primary study outcome. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were the secondary study outcomes.
resultsThe patients received anti-programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) (n=73, 58%), anti-programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) (n=24, 19%), or a combination of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 and anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (n=28, 22%). The median age was 57 years (range, 37 to 87). The location of the primary tumor was in the oral cavity in 28% of the cases, followed by oropharynx (27%), hypopharynx (20%), and larynx (12%). The ORR was 15% (19/125). With 12.3 months of median follow-up, median PFS was 2.7 months. Median OS was 10.8 months. A neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) > 4 was significantly associated with poor response to ICIs (odds ratio, 0.30; p=0.022). A sum of the target lesions > 40 mm (hazard ratio [HR], 1.53; p=0.046] and a NLR > 4 (HR, 1.75; p=0.009) were considered to be predictive markers of short PFS. A poor performance status (HR, 4.79; p < 0.001), a sum of target lesions > 40 mm (HR, 1.93; p=0.025), and an NLR > 4 (HR, 3.36; p < 0.001) were the significant predictors for poor survival.
conclusionICIs exhibited favorable antitumor activity in R/M HNSCC. Clinically, our findings can be used to recognize patients benefit from receiving ICI.
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