Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40905435›Full record

Trial reportAmerican journal of clinical oncology2026

Evaluation of Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio in Patients With Recurrent and/or Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Treated With a Combination of Cetuximab and Nivolumab in a Phase II Clinical Trial.

Robin Park, Fahad Rind, Tyler Kristoff, Jiannong Li, Michael Schell, Robbert J C Slebos, Sowjanya Thatikonda, Ritu Chaudhary, Maria I Biernacki, Yeva Meshkovska and 13 more

Registry-linked trialAbstract readClinical Trial, Phase II
In one paragraph

Trial report in American journal of clinical oncology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03370276 (A Phase I/II Study of Concurrent Cetuximab and Nivolumab in Patients With Recurrent and/or Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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.

NCT03370276 phase1 / phase2completednot on this map

A Phase I/II Study of Concurrent Cetuximab and Nivolumab in Patients With Recurrent and/or Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

TypeinterventionalSponsorH. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research InstituteRan2017 to 2023Enrolled95ConditionsSquamous Cell Carcinoma of the Oropharynx, Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Larynx, Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Oral Cavity, Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the HypopharynxArmsNivolumab, Cetuximab
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

23 authors.

Robin ParkDepartment of Head and Neck-Endocrine Oncology.
Fahad RindDepartment of Internal Medicine and The James Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.
Tyler KristoffDepartment of Internal Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA.
Jiannong LiBiostatistics and Bioinformatics.
Michael SchellBiostatistics and Bioinformatics.
Robbert J C SlebosDepartment of Head and Neck-Endocrine Oncology.
Sowjanya ThatikondaDepartment of Head and Neck-Endocrine Oncology.
Ritu ChaudharyDepartment of Head and Neck-Endocrine Oncology.
Maria I BiernackiDepartment of Head and Neck-Endocrine Oncology.
Yeva MeshkovskaDepartment of Head and Neck-Endocrine Oncology.
David KaldasDepartment of Head and Neck-Endocrine Oncology.
Hyun-Su KimCollege of Osteopathic Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, Davie, FL.
Joaquim FarinhasRadiology.
Juan Hernandez-PreraPathology.
Kedar KirtaneDepartment of Head and Neck-Endocrine Oncology.
MacLean S HallImmunology.
Antonio L AmelioDepartment of Head and Neck-Endocrine Oncology.
James W RoccoOtolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, James Cancer Hospital/Solove Research Institute, Columbus, OH.
Priyanka BhatejaDepartment of Internal Medicine and The James Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.
Conor SteuerDepartment of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA.
Marcelo BonomiDepartment of Internal Medicine and The James Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.
Nabil F SabaDepartment of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA.
Christine H ChungDepartment of Head and Neck-Endocrine Oncology.ORCID 0000-0001-5199-4306

Funding

Investigating the prognostic role of intrinsic immune evasion mechanisms in HNSCCR01DE030493 · NIDCR · H. LEE MOFFITT CANCER CTR & RES INST · PI WANG, XUEFENG · 2021 to 2023
$1.2M
James and Esther King Biomedical Research Grant 21K04NIH HHS R01DE030493
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesWe report on the biomarker analyses focusing on neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios (NLR) in patients with recurrent and/or metastatic (R/M) head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) treated with combined cetuximab and nivolumab.

methodsData were obtained from a phase II trial (NCT03370276). Peripheral blood NLR was obtained at baseline (B-NLR) and on-treatment (OT-NLR; 1 mo from treatment initiation). Tumor NLR (T-NLR) was determined by staining of immune cells in primary tumors. Patients were stratified into high (≥median) or low NLR (<median). The association between NLR with survival outcomes was evaluated.

resultsWhile B-NLR did not correlate with survival or responses, low OT-NLR was associated with superior overall survival (OS; P <0.0001), progression-free survival (PFS; P =0.0002), and overall response ( P <0.001) compared with high OT-NLR. Multivariable analysis further demonstrated that low OT-NLR was associated with superior OS (HR 0.32, 95% CI, 0.17-0.61) and PFS (HR 0.45, 95% CI, 0.25-0.81). Compared with patients with high OT-NLR, a higher proportion of patients with low OT-NLR had OS≥24 months ( P =0.0001). Low OT-NLR was associated with higher baseline PD-L1 combined positive scores ( P =0.037). Low pretreatment T-NLR was associated with superior OS and PFS in multivariable analysis and correlated with superior overall response ( P =0.011).

conclusionsLow OT-NLR and pretreatment T-NLR correlated with superior treatment outcomes in patients with R/M HNSCC treated with cetuximab and nivolumab. Further evaluation of T-NLR to improve patient selection and peripheral blood OT-NLR as a dynamic biomarker contributing to clinical benefit assessment given cetuximab and nivolumab is warranted.

Indexed as

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy ProtocolsHead and Neck NeoplasmsLymphocytesNeoplasm Recurrence, LocalNeutrophilsSquamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and NeckAdultAgedCetuximabFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNivolumabPrognosisSurvival RateCetuximabNivolumabcetuximabhead and neck squamous cell carcinomaneutrophil-to-lymphocyte rationivolumab

Identifiers

PMID40905435
PMCPMC13011960

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Registered trials

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.