A recent clinical trial indicates that an immunotherapy drug may significantly extend the lives of hundreds of thousands of patients suffering from advanced head and neck cancer by reducing the likelihood of cancer recurrence.
Scientists are hailing a major medical breakthrough after a clinical trial revealed that an immunotherapy drug could significantly extend the lives of people battling advanced head and neck cancers—an area where treatment options have remained stagnant for the past two decades.
The trial involved more than 350 patients, including 45-year-old Laura Marston from Derbyshire, who was diagnosed with an aggressive form of tongue cancer six years ago. Given only a 30% chance of surviving five years, Laura described herself as “amazed to still be here,” crediting the experimental treatment with giving her a new lease on life.
Laura’s ordeal began in 2019 when a persistent ulcer on her tongue led to a devastating diagnosis. She underwent extensive surgery to remove her tongue and lymph nodes in her neck, followed by an arduous recovery process that required her to relearn how to speak and eat.
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However, what set her treatment apart was the administration of pembrolizumab, an immunotherapy drug, both before and after surgery. According to researchers from the Institute of Cancer Research in London, this dual-stage approach helps train the immune system to identify and attack cancer cells if they attempt to return.
Head and neck cancers are among the most difficult to treat, and survival rates for advanced cases remain dismal—more than half of such patients die within five years. But this trial marks the first real progress in two decades, offering renewed hope to patients and the medical community alike.
Professor Kevin Harrington, who led the UK arm of the groundbreaking trial, described the strategy behind the new treatment approach: “We’re essentially giving the immune system an early look at the tumour to kickstart a strong anti-cancer response. Then, after surgically removing the tumour, we continue reinforcing that response by administering the drug over the course of a year.”
In the trial, patients with advanced but localized head and neck cancers were split into two groups—one received the standard course of care, while the other was treated with the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab before and after surgery.
The outcomes were striking. On average, the new treatment regimen doubled the duration patients remained cancer-free—from roughly 2.5 years to 5 years. Even more encouraging, within three years, those who received pembrolizumab were 10% less likely to experience a recurrence of cancer elsewhere in their body compared to those given standard care.
The results offer hope for a patient group that has seen little progress in decades, suggesting this immune-targeting therapy could redefine long-term outcomes for people facing these aggressive cancers.