Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38555323›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of clinical oncology2024

Survival impact of sequential chemotherapy following pembrolizumab for recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Sho Iwaki, Shigenori Kadowaki, Kazunori Honda, Yukiya Narita, Toshiki Masuishi, Hiroya Taniguchi, Masashi Ando, Kei Muro, Michi Sawabe, Hidenori Suzuki and 6 more

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in International journal of clinical oncology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
2.3field-weighted citation impact, top 13% 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

2 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Identifying factors for pembrolizumab eligibility in head and neck cancer.Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology · 2025
    Article
  2. Review
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

16 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Sho IwakiDepartment of Head and Neck Surgery, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, Nagoya, Japan.
Shigenori KadowakiDepartment of Clinical Oncology, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, 1-1 Kanokoden, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8681, Japan. skadowaki@aichi-cc.jp.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9923-5309
Kazunori HondaDepartment of Clinical Oncology, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, 1-1 Kanokoden, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8681, Japan.
Yukiya NaritaDepartment of Clinical Oncology, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, 1-1 Kanokoden, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8681, Japan.
Toshiki MasuishiDepartment of Clinical Oncology, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, 1-1 Kanokoden, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8681, Japan.
Hiroya TaniguchiDepartment of Clinical Oncology, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, 1-1 Kanokoden, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8681, Japan.
Masashi AndoDepartment of Clinical Oncology, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, 1-1 Kanokoden, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8681, Japan.
Kei MuroDepartment of Clinical Oncology, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, 1-1 Kanokoden, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 464-8681, Japan.
Michi SawabeDepartment of Head and Neck Surgery, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, Nagoya, Japan.
Hidenori SuzukiDepartment of Head and Neck Surgery, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, Nagoya, Japan.
Daisuke NishikawaDepartment of Head and Neck Surgery, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, Nagoya, Japan.
Shintaro BeppuDepartment of Head and Neck Surgery, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, Nagoya, Japan.
Hoshino TeradaDepartment of Head and Neck Surgery, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, Nagoya, Japan.
Toshihiro KishikawaDepartment of Head and Neck Surgery, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, Nagoya, Japan.
Daisuke KawakitaDepartment of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan.
Nobuhiro HanaiDepartment of Head and Neck Surgery, Aichi Cancer Center Hospital, Nagoya, Japan.
Aichi Cancer Center · JPNagoya City University · JP

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPembrolizumab alone or combined with chemotherapy is the standard of care for first-line treatment of patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (R/M HNSCC) with positive programmed death-ligand 1 combined positive scores. However, data on second-line chemotherapy following pembrolizumab are scarce.

methodsA single-center, retrospective study was conducted to determine the efficacies of pembrolizumab and pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy as first-line treatments and the efficacy of second-line chemotherapy for patients with R/M HNSCC who were refractory or intolerant to first-line treatment.

resultsFifty-four patients were treated with pembrolizumab, and 29 received second-line therapy, with 27 opting for cetuximab-containing regimens. The median progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and PFS on next-line therapy for first-line treatment were 4.7 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.1-8.7), 22.1 (95% CI, 12.6-not reached), and 15.6 months (95% CI, 9.7-not reached) in the pembrolizumab group and 5.4 (95% CI, 3.3-6.8), 15.8 (95% CI, 8.6-not reached), and 13.7 months (95% CI, 8.1-not reached) in the pembrolizumab plus chemotherapy group, respectively. The overall response rate and median PFS for second-line treatment were 48.3% (95% CI, 30.4-67.0) and 6.1 months (95% CI, 2.30-8.84). The median OS for patients who received second-line treatment was 18.4 months, which was superior to the median OS of 6.0 months for patients who received the best supportive care (log-rank p = 0.10).

conclusionThis study indicates that cetuximab-containing second-line chemotherapy can improve outcomes in R/M HNSCC, even after first-line therapy failure or intolerance.

Indexed as

Antibodies, Monoclonal, HumanizedAntineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy ProtocolsHead and Neck NeoplasmsNeoplasm Recurrence, LocalSquamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and NeckAdultAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedProgression-Free SurvivalRetrospective StudiesAntibodies, Monoclonal, HumanizedpembrolizumabChemotherapyCombined positive scoreHead and neck squamous cell carcinomaPembrolizumabSurvival

Identifiers

PMID38555323
OpenAlexW4393338669

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

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.