Dr Minit Shah speaks to ecancer about ultra-low-dose immunotherapy plus oral metronomic chemotherapy versus paclitaxel-carboplatin in platinum-sensitive recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

He says that access to standard first-line treatments for recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma remains limited in many parts of the world, creating a need for effective and affordable alternatives.

This phase III trial evaluated a low-cost, all-oral metronomic chemotherapy regimen combined with ultra-low-dose nivolumab against standard platinum-based chemotherapy.

The TMC-I regimen significantly improved overall survival, with median survival extending to 10.3 months compared with 6.2 months for standard chemotherapy, along with higher response rates and longer progression-free survival.

Patients receiving TMC-I also experienced fewer severe adverse events and maintained quality of life, with no treatment-related deaths reported.

Dr Shah says that these findings highlight TMC-I as an effective, better-tolerated, and cost-efficient first-line option for patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer, particularly in resource-constrained settings