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HNSCC Current Landscape

CE / CME

The Current Treatment Landscape and Unmet Needs in Head and Neck Cancers

Physician Assistants/Physician Associates: 0.25 AAPA Category 1 CME credit

Pharmacists: 0.25 contact hour (0.025 CEUs)

Physicians: maximum of 0.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit

Nurse Practitioners/Nurses: 0.25 Nursing contact hour

Released: June 16, 2026

Expiration: December 15, 2026

Activity

Progress
1 2 3
Course Completed

References

1. Siegel R, Kratzer T, Wagle N, et al. Cancer statistics, 2026. CA Cancer J Clin. 2026;76:e70043

2. Ionna F, Bossi P, Alberti A, et al. Recurrent/metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck: a big and intriguing challenge which may be resolved by integrated treatments combining locoregional and systemic therapies. Cancers (Basel). 2021;13:2371.

3. Pembrolizumab [prescribing information]. Rahway, NJ: Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC; 2026.

4. Nivolumab [prescribing information]. Princeton, NJ: Bristol-Myers Squibb; 2026.

5. Burtness B, Harrington K, Greil R et al. Pembrolizumab alone or with chemotherapy versus cetuximab with chemotherapy for recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (KEYNOTE-048): a randomised, open-label, phase 3 study. Lancet. 2019;394:1915-1928

6. Haddad R, Harrington K, Tahara M, et al. Nivolumab plus ipilimumab versus EXTREME regimen as first-line treatment for recurrent/metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck: the final results of CheckMate 651. J Clin Oncol. 2023;41:2166-2180

7. Dzienis M, Cudom J, Fuentes CS, et al. Pembrolizumab plus carboplatin and paclitaxel as first-line therapy for recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (KEYNOTE-B10): a single-arm phase IV trial. J Clin Oncol. 2024;42:2989-2999.

8. Lee N, Ferris R, Psyrri A, et al. Avelumab plus standard-of-care chemoradiotherapy versus chemoradiotherapy alone in patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre, phase 3 trial. Lancet Oncol. 2021;22:450-462.

9. Machiels JP, Tao Y, Licitra L, et al. Pembrolizumab plus concurrent chemoradiotherapy versus placebo plus concurrent chemoradiotherapy in patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (KEYNOTE-412): a randomised, double-blind, phase 3 trial. Lancet Oncol. 2024;25:572-587.

10. Su ZY, Siak PY, Leong CO, et al. The role of Epstein–Barr virus in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Front Microbiol. 2023;9:1116143.

11. Su ZY, Siak PY, Leong CO, et al. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma and its microenvironment: past, current, and future perspectives. Front Oncol. 2022;12:840467.

12. Wang FH, Wei XL, Feng J, et al. Efficacy, safety, and correlative biomarkers of toripalimab in previously treated recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a phase II clinical trial (POLARIS-02). J Clin Oncol. 2021;39:704.

13. Shen L, Guo J, Zhang Q, et al. Tislelizumab in Chinese patients with advanced solid tumors: an open-label, non-comparative, phase 1/2 study. J Immunother Cancer. 2020;8:e000437.

14. Fang W, Yang Y, Ma Y, et al. Camrelizumab (SHR-1210) alone or in combination with gemcitabine plus cisplatin for nasopharyngeal carcinoma: results from two single-arm, phase 1 trials. Lancet Oncol. 2018;19:1338

15. Ma BB, Lim WT, Goh BC, et al. Antitumor activity of nivolumab in recurrent and metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma: an international, multicenter study of the Mayo Clinic phase 2 consortium (NCI-9742). J Clin Oncol. 2018;36:1412

16. Hsu C, Lee SH, Ejadi S, et al. Safety and antitumor activity of pembrolizumab in patients with programmed death-ligand 1–positive nasopharyngeal carcinoma: results of the KEYNOTE-028 study. J Clin Oncol. 2017;35:4050

17. Yang Y, Qu S, Li J, et al. Camrelizumab versus placebo in combination with gemcitabine and cisplatin as first-line treatment for recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (CAPTAIN-1st): a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, phase 3 trial. Lancet Oncol. 2021;22:1162

18. Mai H, Chen Q, Chen D, et al. Toripalimab plus chemotherapy for recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma: the JUPITER-02 randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2023;330:1961.

19. Mai H, Chen Q, Chen D, et al. Long term overall survival follow-up of toripalimab versus placebo in combination with gemcitabine and cisplatin as first-line treatment for recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Presented at European Society for Medical Oncology 2025. Abstract 669MO.

20. Meci A, Goyal N, Slonimsky G, Mechanisms of resistance and therapeutic perspectives in immunotherapy for advanced head and neck cancers. Cancers. 2024;7:703.

21. Benson E, Li R, Eisele D, et al. The clinical impact of HPV tumor status upon head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. Oral Oncol. 2014;50:565.