Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38390265›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in oncology2024

Real-world use of first-line pembrolizumab + platinum + taxane combination regimens in recurrent / metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Christopher M Black, Dandan Zheng, Gleicy M Hair, Lei Ai, Liya Wang, Daisuke Goto, Nati Lerman, Behzad Bidadi, Glenn J Hanna

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in oncology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
3.5field-weighted citation impact, top 8% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: current and emerging therapeutic strategies.Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2026
    Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Christopher M BlackCenter for Observational and Real-World Evidence (CORE), Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, United States.
Dandan ZhengCenter for Observational and Real-World Evidence (CORE), Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, United States.
Gleicy M HairCenter for Observational and Real-World Evidence (CORE), Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, United States.
Lei AiCenter for Observational and Real-World Evidence (CORE), Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, United States.
Liya WangCenter for Observational and Real-World Evidence (CORE), Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, United States.
Daisuke GotoCenter for Observational and Real-World Evidence (CORE), Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, United States.
Nati LermanOncology Late Stage Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, United States.
Behzad BidadiOncology Late Stage Development, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, United States.
Glenn J HannaCenter for Head & Neck Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States.
Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA (United States) · USDana-Farber Cancer Institute · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: The programmed death-1 (PD-1) immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab is currently approved in the US for the first-line (1L) treatment of recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (R/M HNSCC), either alone or in combination with platinum and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). However, the toxicity of 5-FU has motivated the study of alternate combinations that replace 5-FU with a taxane. The objective of the current study was to describe the baseline characteristics, treatment patterns and sequences, and real-world outcomes of individuals receiving pembrolizumab + platinum + taxane as 1L treatment for R/M HNSCC in the US. Methods: This was a retrospective study of US adults ≥18 years of age receiving pembrolizumab + platinum + taxane as 1L treatment for R/M HNSCC, using electronic health record data from a nationwide de-identified database. Real-world overall survival (rwOS), time on treatment (rwToT), and time to next treatment (rwTTNT) outcomes were assessed using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Results: The study population comprised 83 individuals (80.7% male) with a median age of 64 years. The most common tumor site was the oropharynx (48.2%); 70.0% of these tumors were HPV-positive. A total of 71.1% of the study population had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-1 at index date, 71.8% had a combined positive score for programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) expression of ≥1, and 30.8% had a score of ≥20. The median (95% CI) rwOS was 14.9 (8.8-23.3) months, rwToT was 5.3 (4.0-8.2) months, and rwTTNT was 8.7 (6.8-12.3) months. Among the 24 individuals who received a subsequent therapy, the most common second-line therapies were cetuximab-based ( Conclusions: The rwOS and other real-world outcomes observed for this study population further support pembrolizumab + platinum + taxane combination therapy as a potential 1L treatment option for R/M HNSCC.

Indexed as

antineoplastic agentshead and neck squamous cell carcinomaKaplan-Meier estimatepatient outcomesPD-1real-world observational studytaxanestreatment patterns

Identifiers

PMID38390265
PMCPMC10881782
OpenAlexW4391648640

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.