Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIM: Nivolumab, an anti-PD-1 inhibitor, has demonstrated efficacy in patients with several types of recurrent and metastatic (R/M) squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. We evaluated patients with R/M-NPC receiving nivolumab. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twelve patients with R/M-NPC were enrolled at 4 institutions. The primary endpoint was overall survival, and secondary endpoints were i) progression-free survival (PFS), ii) overall response rate (ORR), iii) disease control rate (DCR), and iv) treatment-related toxicity. RESULTS: The 1-year survival rate was 75.8%, the median PFS was 2.8 months, and the 1-year PFS rate was 33.3%. The best therapeutic response was complete response in 2, stable disease in 3 and progressive disease in 7 patients. The ORR of all patients was 16.7% and the DCR was 41.7%. CONCLUSION: Nivolumab is a useful and relatively safe second-line systemic therapy in patients with R/M-NPC, and even patients who do not respond to nivolumab may survive for a long time.