Fasano Morena, Della Corte Carminia Maria, Viscardi Giuseppe, Di Liello Raimondo, Paragliola Fernando, Sparano Francesca, Iacovino Maria Lucia, Castrichino Anna, Doria Francesca, Sica Antonello, Morgillo Floriana, Colella Giuseppe, Tartaro Giampaolo, Cappabianca Salvatore, Testa Domenico, Motta Gaetano, Ciardiello Fortunato
Department of Precision Medicine, Medical Oncology, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli. Via Sergio Pansini 5, Naples, 80131, Italy.
Department of Precision Medicine, Medical Oncology, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy.
Ther Adv Med Oncol. 2021 Mar 9;13:1758835920949418. doi: 10.1177/1758835920949418. eCollection 2021.
Head and neck cancers (HNC) represent the seventh most frequent cancer worldwide, with squamous cell carcinomas as the most frequent histologic subtype. Standard treatment for early stage diseases is represented by single modality surgery or radiotherapy, whereas in the locally advanced and recurrent or metastatic settings a more aggressive multi-modal approach is needed with locoregional intervention and/or systemic therapies. Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) plays an important role in HNC biology and has been studied extensively in preclinical and clinical settings. In this scenario, anti-EGFR targeted agent cetuximab, introduced in clinical practice a decade ago, represents the only approved targeted therapy to date, while the development of immune-checkpoint inhibitors has recently changed the available treatment options. In this review, we focus on the current role of anti-EGFR therapies in HNCs, underlying available clinical data and mechanisms of resistance, and highlight future perspectives regarding their role in the era of immunotherapy.
头颈癌（HNC）是全球第七大常见癌症，其中鳞状细胞癌是最常见的组织学亚型。早期疾病的标准治疗方法是单一模式的手术或放疗，而在局部晚期、复发或转移的情况下，则需要更积极的多模式方法，包括局部区域干预和/或全身治疗。表皮生长因子受体（EGFR）在头颈癌生物学中起重要作用，并且在临床前和临床环境中都进行了广泛研究。在这种情况下，十年前引入临床实践的抗EGFR靶向药物西妥昔单抗是迄今为止唯一被批准的靶向治疗药物，而免疫检查点抑制剂的发展最近改变了可用的治疗选择。在这篇综述中，我们关注抗EGFR疗法在头颈癌中的当前作用，阐述现有的临床数据和耐药机制，并强调其在免疫治疗时代作用的未来前景。
