Abstract
Nivolumab has shown efficacy in patients with recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma（RM-HNSCC）. Recent data suggest increased response rate to salvage chemotherapy after exposure to immune checkpoint inhibitors in advanced non-small cell lung carcinoma. We evaluated responses to salvage chemotherapy in RM-HNSCC patients who have progressed on nivolumab. A retrospective study was conducted at Kagoshima City Hospital. From May 2017 to February 2018, 12 patients were treated with nivolumab for RM-HNSCC and 5 patients whose diseases have progressed on nivolumab were received salvage chemotherapy. The overall response rate to nivolumab was 16.7％ and the disease control rate was 33.3％. Salvage chemotherapy included taxane-based regimen （60％） and platinum-based regimen （40％）. The overall response rate to salvage chemotherapy was 40％ and the disease control rate was 80％. This suggests that nivolumab could make tumor more vulnerable to subsequent chemotherapy in RM-HNSCC patients.
