KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The study aimed to compare targeted therapies in HNC patients, emphasizing survival probabilities, especially in recurrent or palliative scenarios following surgery.
- Researchers noticed that EGFR inhibitors showed inferior survival outcomes compared to c-MET or VEGF inhibitors in the analysis.
Targeted therapy plays a pivotal role in modern tumor therapy, particularly in addressing the complexities of head and neck cancer (HNC). Surgical interventions often lead to pronounced functional limitations, affecting patients’ swallowing, speech, and facial expressions. In recurrent tumors or palliative scenarios, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) are frequently utilized.
Josefine Baudrexl and her team aimed to assess a comprehensive comparison of diverse targeted therapies, emphasizing their impact on survival probabilities in HNC patients.
They performed an inclusive analysis of HNC patient data sourced from the TriNetX network, where distinct therapy regimens were administered. 2 cohorts were established: Cohort I, receiving 1 targeted therapy, and Cohort II, undergoing a different targeted therapy. Both cohorts were meticulously matched at a 1:1 ratio concerning specified confounders. Defining “death” as the primary outcome, a comprehensive Kaplan-Meier analysis was executed, yielding risk ratios (RR), odds ratios (OR), and hazard ratios (HR) to elucidate the comparative effectiveness of the diverse treatment approaches.
About 18,331 patients diagnosed with HNC and subjected to targeted therapy were subjected to rigorous analysis. Notably, those treated with VEGF inhibitors exhibited a markedly prolonged overall survival period compared to counterparts receiving c-MET or EGFR inhibitors. Furthermore, patients administered PI3K inhibitors experienced a significantly diminished survival probability, registering a distinct contrast to those treated with c-MET, mTOR, and RET inhibitors.
The study concluded that, in contrast to the widespread use of EGFR inhibitors in HNC, patients treated with c-MET or VEGF inhibitors demonstrated a notable survival advantage. This highlights the potential significance of considering alternative targeted therapies for enhanced treatment outcomes in HNC. No funding information was available.
Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38423635/
Baudrexl J, Sakkas A, Pietzka S, et al. (2024). “Evaluation of Five-year Overall Survival Rates Among 18,331 Head and Neck Cancer Patients Exposed to Different Targeted Therapies Through Real-world Data in a Case-controlled Study.” Anticancer Res. 2024 Mar;44(3):1247-1270. doi: 10.21873/anticanres.16921. PMID: 38423635.
