SITC Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Immunotherapy Guideline

The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) published it's first clinical practice guideline (CPG) on immunotherapy for the treatment of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer on July 15, 2019.

SITC's Cancer Immunotherapy Guidelines program is a collection of CPGs developed by multi-disciplinary panels of experts who draw from their own practical experience as well as evidence in the published literature and clinical trial data to develop evidence- and consensus-based recommendations. SITC uses as a model the Institute of Medicine's 2011 "Standards for Developing Trustworthy Clinical Practice Guidelines" to ensure the recommendations are unbiased, transparent and balanced will aid oncologists in effective clinical decision-making concerning patient selection, toxicity management, response evaluation, and the sequencing or combination of therapies, among other topics.

The Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma CPG was developed collaboratively through the efforts of an expert panel that convened to discuss the current therapeutic landscape. This CPG provides recommendations for FDA-approved immunotherapies for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, as well as discussion of promising emerging treatment modalities and patient quality of life issues.

Published Guideline

view guideline

Webinar Series

SITC is pleased to offer companion educational resources in support of the published Head and Neck Cancer CPG. These activities feature faculty comprised of the guideline expert panel and are designed to provide a deeper understanding of the recommendations in the SITC guidelines and how to apply them in various clinical scenarios. The educational available features both webinars which are a longer-format recording that takes a deeper look at the guideline recommendations as well as mini-modules which are brief videos on a specific topic within the guideline content. Below is a list of the available educational resources for this CPG available free and on-demand.

Webinars:

• *Immunotherapy for the Treatment of Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck (HNSCC)- SITC CPG Webinar
  • Leading experts in cancer immunotherapy presented an overview of the publication "The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer consensus statement on immunotherapy for the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC)" during a live webinar.

• Practical Management Pearls for Immunotherapy for the Treatment of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma- SITC CPG Webinar
  • This advanced webinar explains how to appraise and classify organ-specific considerations for immunotherapy agents and toxicities, identify and manage clinically significant uncommon toxicities, and determine optimal sequencing of immunotherapies in relapsed and/or refractory disease.

• Case Studies in Immunotherapy for the Treatment of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma- SITC CPG Webinar
  • This high-level webinar will include case studies that illustrate execution of guideline recommendations, as well as discussion on difficult topics related to case management, as outlined in the Head and Neck Cancer CPG.

Mini-Modules:

• Identifying Pseudoprogression and Managing Disease Unresponsive to Immunotherapy
  • This mini module begins with a case presentation on a patient with recurrent HNSCC in the oropharynx and lungs.  Panelists Dan P. Zandberg, MD - UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Ezra Cohen, MD, FRCPSC, FASCO - UC of San Diego, and Andrew Sikora, MD, PhD - University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center use this case as a starting point to discuss the incidence of pseudoprogresson during immunotherapy of HNSCC.  Panelists' insights into risks and benefits of transitioning patients from immunotherapy to chemotherapy are also addressed.  The discussion concludes with practical advice on distinguishing between pseudoprogression and unresponsive tumors.

• Risks and Benefits of Immunotherapy Combination Therapies to Treat Oligometastatic Disease
  • Panelists Dan P. Zandberg, MD - UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Ezra Cohen, MD, FRCPSC, FASCO - UC of San Diego, and Andrew G. Sikora, MD, PhD - University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center compare the risks and benefits of combining local therapy with systemic immunotherapy to the risks and benefits local therapy alone to treat recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) in patients who test positive for HPV.  Insights into the sequencing of immunotherapy with stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) to treat oligometastatic disease is also discussed.  The discussion ends with the panelists' insight on emerging immunotherapy combinations, intratumoral treatments, and the future of combination therapy for HNSCC.

• Selecting Appropriate Treatment Strategies for Recurrent/Metastatic HNSCC
  • Dan P. Zandberg, MD - UPMC Hillman Cancer Center presents a case of a 63-year-old man with metastatic squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), two years after undergoing a resection for teh SCC of the tongue.  This presentation addresses teh current standard of care of SCC and the roles of PD-L1 testing when planning treatment for SCC.  Insights from KEYNOTE-048 clinical trial, which compared the efficacies of immunotherapy, an immunotherapy/chemotherapy combination, adn the EXTREME regimen for treatment of recurrent/metastatic HNSCC are also provided.  The mini module concludes with a panel discussion between Dr. Zandberg, Ezra Cohen, MD, FRCPSC, FASCO - UC San Diego, and Andrew G. Sikora, MD, PhD - The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center about important factors to consider when planning treatment for patients with recurrent/metastatic HNSCC.