A promising new immunotherapy drug could dramatically improve the survival prospects of individuals with advanced head and neck cancer, according to a major international clinical trial. Scientists say this marks the most significant advancement in treating the disease in over two decades.
The trial, which involved over 350 patients worldwide, has shown that using the drug pembrolizumab before and after surgery can potentially double the time patients remain cancer-free. The findings are now being hailed as a game changer for a group of cancers that have historically proven very difficult to treat.
One of the participants in the trial is 45-year-old Laura Marston from Derbyshire, UK. She was diagnosed with advanced tongue cancer six years ago and was originally given only a 30% chance of surviving beyond five years. Today, she says she feels “amazed” to still be alive and thriving.
Her journey began in 2019 when she developed an ulcer on her tongue that wouldn’t heal. Further investigations revealed it was cancerous, and she soon faced the devastating news that major surgery removal of her tongue and neck lymph nodes was necessary. “I was only 39 and absolutely devastated,”
After her diagnosis, Laura joined an international clinical trial overseen in the UK by the Institute of Cancer Research in London. As part of the study, she was treated with pembrolizumab, an immunotherapy drug that helps the immune system identify and attack cancer cells. In her case, the treatment was administered both before and after surgery.
Professor Kevin Harrington, who led the trial in the UK, explained the strategy: “We allow the immune system an opportunity to closely examine the tumour and develop an anti-tumour response. After the tumour is surgically removed, we then boost that response by continuing the drug treatment for up to a year.”
This novel strategy was compared with the standard treatment approach in a similarly sized group of patients. All trial participants had locally advanced head and neck cancers that had not spread to other parts of the body.
The results were promising. Patients treated with pembrolizumab remained cancer-free for an average of five years, double the 2.5 years typically achieved with standard treatment. Additionally, three years into the study, those who received the immunotherapy had a 10% lower risk of their cancer spreading to other parts of the body.
Professor Harrington believes the findings have the potential to transform the treatment of head and neck cancers. “It greatly reduces the risk of the cancer spreading throughout the body, which becomes extremely hard to treat at that stage,” he said. “This could make a life-changing difference for these patients.”
Head and neck cancers affect around 12,800 people annually in the UK. More than half of those diagnosed with advanced stages of the disease die within five years. The cancers are notoriously complex, often requiring aggressive treatment like surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, all of which can severely impact a patient’s quality of life.
Laura’s journey to recovery was challenging. Following surgery, doctors reconstructed her tongue using muscle from her arm, and she had to relearn how to speak and eat. However, with the help of immunotherapy, she has made a remarkable comeback, now working full-time and enjoying life once more. “It’s been incredible for me because I’m here, able to have this conversation with you,” she said.
Professor Harrington emphasized that the breakthrough was largely due to the timing of the immunotherapy specifically its use before surgery. “We’re teaching the body to recognize and fight the cancer if it ever returns. That’s what makes the difference.”
The trial, known as Keynote, was conducted across 192 hospitals in 24 countries and was coordinated by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. It was funded by pharmaceutical company MSD. The findings are currently being presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), one of the world’s most prominent cancer research forums.
Following these encouraging results, scientists and clinicians are calling for pembrolizumab to be made available to patients on the UK’s National Health Service (NHS). Professor Harrington said that while the treatment worked particularly well for some individuals, it was “really exciting” to see consistent benefits across the broader patient group.
As researchers continue to evaluate long-term outcomes and explore similar strategies in other hard-to-treat cancers, this development is being seen as a milestone moment in the field of oncology and one that offers renewed hope to patients facing some of the most aggressive forms of the disease.
