Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42039183›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in immunology2026

EGFR-targeted photoimmunotherapy and its association with the immune microenvironment in locoregional recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Koichi Yoshizawa, Takahiro Tsujikawa, Peesit Leelasawatsuk, Mai Mohamed Bedeir, Yuna van der Aar, Tim de Martines, Saya Shibata, Hiroshi Ogi, Ryuhei Okada, Alisa Kimura and 9 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in immunology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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.

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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

19 authors.

Koichi YoshizawaDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
Takahiro TsujikawaDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
Peesit LeelasawatsukDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
Mai Mohamed BedeirDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
Yuna van der AarDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
Tim de MartinesDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
Saya ShibataSCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd., Kyoto, Japan.
Hiroshi OgiSCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd., Kyoto, Japan.
Ryuhei OkadaDepartment of Head and Neck Surgery, Institute of Science Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Alisa KimuraDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
Hiroki MorimotoDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
Sumiyo SaburiDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
Shigeyuki MukudaiDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
Hikaru NagaoDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
Aya Miyagawa-HayashinoDepartment of Pathology and Applied Neurobiology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
Eiichi KonishiDepartment of Surgical Pathology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
Kyoko ItohDepartment of Pathology and Applied Neurobiology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
Takahiro AsakageDepartment of Head and Neck Surgery, Institute of Science Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Shigeru HiranoDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeted photoimmunotherapy using cetuximab sarotalocan sodium (RM-1929) represents a novel therapeutic modality that induces selective tumor cell death and may influence the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). However, its immunological consequences are not well defined. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 25 patients with locoregional recurrent HNSCC who received RM-1929 photoimmunotherapy to evaluate treatment response, overall survival (OS), and safety. To explore TIME features, 14-marker multiplex immunohistochemistry was performed on pretreatment tumor samples from 14 patients, with 6 paired pre- and post-treatment samples. Results: Across 40 treatment cycles, the overall response rate was 77.5% (7 complete, 24 partial responses) with a median OS of 401 days. Treatment was generally well tolerated, with adverse events limited to expected local toxicities. Clinical responses were not explained by conventional clinicopathological factors or EGFR expression on tumor cells. In TIME analysis, responders exhibit significantly higher intratumoral CD39 Conclusion: RM-1929 photoimmunotherapy demonstrated local efficacy with limited adverse events. Distinct TIME characteristics and potential immune remodeling, involving CD39

Indexed as

Antineoplastic Agents, ImmunologicalCetuximabHead and Neck NeoplasmsImmunotherapyPhototherapySquamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and NeckTumor MicroenvironmentAdultAgedErbB ReceptorsFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedNeoplasm Recurrence, LocalRetrospective StudiesAntineoplastic Agents, ImmunologicalCetuximabEGFR protein, humanErbB ReceptorsEGFRhead and neck squamous cell carcinomaimmune microenvironmentlocoregional recurrencephotoimmunotherapy

Identifiers

PMID42039183
PMCPMC13106176

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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.