Optimal timing of surgery in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma after neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy

Puntos clave

• Patients with a wait time exceeding three weeks showed a lower likelihood of achieving both pathological complete response (pCR) and major pathological response (mPR).
• Surgical complications increased when the interval between neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy and surgery exceeded three weeks, impacting recovery.
• The duration of disease-free survival (DFS) was found to be shorter for those with a longer wait time prior to surgery.
• This analysis signals potential timing implications for surgery in patients undergoing neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy.