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Evaluation of neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with PD-1 inhibitors in patients with oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma: a comparative study of antitumor activity

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Abstract

Purpose

To assess the antitumor activity of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in conjunction with PD-1 inhibitors (neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy) among patients with oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPHSCC) and compare its efficacy with neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective analysis using data from patients diagnosed with OPHSCC and treated at the Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center between September 2012 and August 2022. We included patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone or combined with PD-1 inhibitors. We assessed the clinical response using the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors and evaluated progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).

Results

Preliminary results demonstrate that neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy exhibited robust antitumor activity in OPHSCC, with an impressive overall response rate (ORR) of 81.0%. Complete response and partial response rates were 14.9% and 65.9%, respectively. Notably, neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy demonstrated superior PFS and OS to neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone. The 1-year PFS rate was 80.7%, and the 2-year rate was 61.1%. Additionally, the 1-year OS rate reached 92.3%. Finally, a multivariate analysis identified the American Joint Committee on Cancer stage reduction post-treatment as a favorable predictor of PFS.

Conclusion

Our results underscore the promising potential of neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy in enhancing antitumor activity in patients with OPHSCC. The robust ORR, along with improved PFS and OS, supports the utility of this combined approach. These results pave the way for further investigations to validate and refine the application of neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy in this challenging clinical context.

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Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

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Funding

The authors declare that no funds, grants, or other support was received during the preparation of this manuscript.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Pengfei Xu and Qi Fang have contributed equally to this work.

  2. Di Wu and Xuekui Liu jointly supervised this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, 651 Dongfeng East Road, Guangzhou, 510060, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China

    Pengfei Xu, Qi Fang, Zheng Zhao, Fei Cao, Di Wu & Xuekui Liu

  2. State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, 651 Dongfeng East Road, Guangzhou, 510060, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China

    Pengfei Xu, Qi Fang, Zheng Zhao, Fei Cao, Di Wu & Xuekui Liu

  3. Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, 651 Dongfeng East Road, Guangzhou, 510060, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China

    Pengfei Xu, Qi Fang, Zheng Zhao, Fei Cao, Di Wu & Xuekui Liu

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  1. Pengfei Xu
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Contributions

PFX and QF designed the study, analyzed the data, and drafted the work. ZZ was involved in acquisition of data. FC interpreted the data. XKL and DW supervised the study and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Di Wu or Xuekui Liu.

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The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

Ethical approval

Ethical endorsement for the investigation was obtained from the Institutional Ethical Committee, affirming its adherence to established ethical guidelines (ethical number: B2023-481-01). Given the observational and retrospective design of this study, the necessity for explicit informed consent was deemed unnecessary and thus waived.

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Xu, P., Fang, Q., Zhao, Z. et al. Evaluation of neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with PD-1 inhibitors in patients with oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma: a comparative study of antitumor activity. Cancer Immunol Immunother 72, 4209–4219 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00262-023-03557-6

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