Efficacy of first-line immune checkpoint inhibitors for recurrent/metastatic head and neck cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Key Points

• The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of first-line immune checkpoint inhibitors in recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer.
• Conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of existing literature on immune checkpoint inhibitors.
• Compared outcomes like overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and objective response rate (ORR) against the EXTREME regimen.
• Focused on the expression levels of PD-L1 in the assessed populations.
• First-line immune checkpoint inhibitor monotherapy and dual therapies did not significantly improve overall survival, progression-free survival, and objective response rates compared to EXTREME treatment.
• A trend indicating potential survival benefits was observed specifically for patients with high levels of PD-L1 expression.