Head and Neck Cancer and Immunotherapy with Dr. Trisha Wise-Draper

New checkpoint inhibitors and other immunotherapies for head and neck cancer with oncologist Dr. Trisha Wise-Draper of the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center Clinical Trials Office #CRIsummit #Immunotherapy #hncsm https://www.cancerresearch.org/virtualsummit

Immunotherapy offers exciting new treatment options for patients with cancers of the mouth, throat, voice box, sinuses, nose, and salivary glands—especially those with HPV-related cancers. Conventional treatments have potentially devastating side effects for speaking, swallowing, and expression, so new options which preserve these functions are vital.

00:00 – Welcome from Tamron Hall
01:02 – Overview of Head and Neck Cancers
09:01 – Live Q&A

Dr. Wise-Draper opened the session with an overview of head and neck cancer, explaining it is the sixth most common cancer worldwide, and is commonly caused by smoking, alcohol use, and HPV. Historically, head and neck cancer treatment relied on surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, but more recently immunotherapy has become a “fourth” modality to treat cancer. She explained how cancer cells can escape the immune system by expressing a protein called PD-L1 that binds to the PD-1 receptor on the surface of a T cell and shuts it off. She explained how immunotherapies have been developed to prevent to block this PD-1/PD-L1, thereby allowing T cells to kill the cancer cells. She then reviewed the history of immunotherapy for head and neck cancer between 2011-2020, focusing on a breakthrough in 2016 when PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitors were first approved to treat and potentially even cure head and neck cancer. https://www.cancerresearch.org..../immunotherapy/cance

Dr. Wise-Draper then answered questions from the audience, including:
- Is immunotherapy recommended for initial diagnosis or better suited for those patients with reoccurrence?
- I don’t think my doctor is giving me the best medication. I have asked about clinical trials and he doesn’t seem knowledgeable. Do you recommend getting a second opinion?
- Is immunotherapy now standard of care for patients who have HPV-related head and neck cancers?
- Which types of head and neck cancer are most commonly caused by HPV?
- How long are patients treated with immunotherapy? Does the length of time vary based upon the effectiveness?
- After scans indicate no evidence of disease, how long is it advised to continue immunotherapy treatments?
- If immunotherapy does not work, can a patient return to chemotherapy treatments?
- What are common side effects of immunotherapy for head and neck cancer patients to look out for?
- If immunotherapy is stopped due to onset of autoimmune side effects, can one restart the immunotherapy once the side effects have resolved?
- I have severe lymphedema from my radiation therapy. Does immunotherapy make lymphedema worse or cause lymphedema?
 - Are cancer patients or people who have a family history of cancer more susceptible to COVID-19?
- Is it safe to get the new COVID-19 vaccine if I am immunocompromised due to my cancer treatment?
- Has COVID-19 affected your own clinical practice?

Dr. Wise-Draper is a medical oncologist specializing in head and neck cancer and cancer clinical trials, and is the medical director of the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center Clinical Trials Office. She is recognized for providing complex multidisciplinary cancer care and new cancer therapy options for patients that haven’t had success with standard therapies. Dr. Wise-Draper is nationally recognized for her research in the development of innovative cancer therapies by performing translational research on therapy resistance mechanisms and biomarker identification, specifically in head and neck cancer and other solid tumors. She is also the recipient of grants from the Department of Defense, American Cancer Society, and the NIH. She was named “Clinical Trialist of the Year” at the University of Cincinnati in 2019 after receiving the Rising Star Award in 2018, and has been selected as a “Cincinnati Top Doctor” every year since 2016.

Established in 1953, the Cancer Research Institute (CRI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to harnessing our immune system’s power to control and potentially cure all cancers. Our mission: Save more lives by fueling the discovery and development of powerful immunotherapies for all types of cancer. To accomplish this, we rely on donor support and collaborative partnerships to fund and carry out the most innovative clinical and laboratory research around the world, support the next generation of the field’s leaders, and serve as the trusted source of information on immunotherapy for cancer patients and their caregivers. https://www.cancerresearch.org

Cancer Research Institute is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit under EIN 13-1837442. Donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowable under the law.

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• Category

  Head and Neck Cancer