Clinical Trials Search at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center

This phase II trial studies how well radiation therapy works when given with pembrolizumab or cisplatin in treating patients with stages III / IV p16-positive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Radiation therapy uses high energy x-rays to kill tumor cells and shrink tumors. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, may help the body’s immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cisplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. It is not yet known whether giving pembrolizumab during and after radiation therapy or cisplatin during radiation therapy works better in treating participants with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

This is a randomized, active-controlled, open-label study of pembrolizumab (Pembro) given prior to surgery and pembrolizumab in combination with standard of care radiotherapy (with or without cisplatin), as post-surgical therapy in treatment naïve participants with newly diagnosed Stage III / IVA, resectable, locoregionally advanced, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LA-HNSCC). Efficacy outcomes will be stratified by programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) combined positive score (CPS) status. The primary hypothesis is that pembrolizumab given before surgery and after surgery in combination with radiotherapy (with or without cisplatin) improves major pathological response and event-free survival compared to radiotherapy (with or without cisplatin) given after surgery alone.