Immunotherapy inches forward in head and neck cancer trials

The University of Cincinnati Cancer Center's Trisha Wise-Draper was featured in a Targeted Therapies in Oncology article discussing the current state and future of immunotherapy trials to treat head and neck cancer.

Immunotherapy treatments use the body's own immune system to target cancer cells and have become an important option for many types of cancer. But there is more to learn on the best uses of immunotherapy in locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

“Outside of the recurrent and metastatic setting, where we have clear indications about when to give immunotherapy, I think it’s still too early to give it in the definitive setting,” said Wise-Draper, MD, PhD, a Cancer Center physician researcher, professor of medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology, section head of medical oncology, co-leader of the Head and neck Experimental Advancement Laboratory in UC's College of Medicine and deputy director of UC's Office of Clinical Research.

“I’d wait until we have a little bit more information, especially with giving immunotherapy before surgery, until we have the results from the clinical trial.”

Read the Targeted Therapies in Oncology article.

Featured photo at top of Wise-Draper, left, and Vinita Takiar in the Head and neck Experimental Advancement Laboratory. Photo/Colleen Kelley/UC Marketing + Brand.