A Canadian Perspective on Systemic Therapy for Recurrent or Metastatic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma
Although the majority of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) present with early-stage or locoregional disease that can be treated with definitive radiotherapy, approximately 20% of patients experience disease recurrence, and 15% present with metastatic disease that is not amenable to curati...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Current Oncology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1718-7729/32/1/48 |
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| author | Anna Spreafico Eric Winquist Cheryl Ho Brian O’Sullivan Nathaniel Bouganim Neil Chua Sarah Doucette Lillian L. Siu Desiree Hao |
| author_facet | Anna Spreafico Eric Winquist Cheryl Ho Brian O’Sullivan Nathaniel Bouganim Neil Chua Sarah Doucette Lillian L. Siu Desiree Hao |
| author_sort | Anna Spreafico |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Although the majority of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) present with early-stage or locoregional disease that can be treated with definitive radiotherapy, approximately 20% of patients experience disease recurrence, and 15% present with metastatic disease that is not amenable to curative therapy. Management of patients with recurrent or metastatic (r/m) NPC who are not candidates for local salvage therapy is challenging in Canada, as there is uncertainty in extrapolating evidence that is largely generated from Southeast China to non-endemic regions such as Canada. Currently, treatment options in Canada are limited to chemotherapy regimens that can only achieve short-term response and prolongation of survival. The addition of anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibodies to chemotherapy has been shown to extend progression-free survival in recurrent r/m NPC compared to chemotherapy alone; however, approval of PD-1 inhibitors in Canada has lagged behind other jurisdictions where NPC is non-endemic. This paper reviews the current systemic treatment landscape for r/m NPC in Canada, highlights unmet treatment needs for patients who are not candidates for curative therapy, and discusses the challenges and opportunities that lie in emerging therapies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2a6f89e691e74025bbfb73e10eda34f8 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1198-0052 1718-7729 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Current Oncology |
| spelling | doaj-art-2a6f89e691e74025bbfb73e10eda34f82025-01-24T13:28:29ZengMDPI AGCurrent Oncology1198-00521718-77292025-01-013214810.3390/curroncol32010048A Canadian Perspective on Systemic Therapy for Recurrent or Metastatic Nasopharyngeal CarcinomaAnna Spreafico0Eric Winquist1Cheryl Ho2Brian O’Sullivan3Nathaniel Bouganim4Neil Chua5Sarah Doucette6Lillian L. Siu7Desiree Hao8Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2M9, CanadaDivision of Medical Oncology, Department of Oncology, Western University, London, ON N6A 5W9, CanadaDepartment of Medical Oncology, BC Cancer, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4E6, CanadaDepartment of Radiology, Radio-Oncology and Nuclear Medicine, Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM), Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H2X 0C1, CanadaDepartment of Oncology, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC H3A 1G1, CanadaDepartment of Oncology, Cross Cancer Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 1Z2, CanadaImpact Medicom Inc., Toronto, ON M6S 3K2, CanadaDivision of Medical Oncology and Hematology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2M9, CanadaDepartment of Medical Oncology, Arthur JE Child Comprehensive Centre, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 5G2, CanadaAlthough the majority of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) present with early-stage or locoregional disease that can be treated with definitive radiotherapy, approximately 20% of patients experience disease recurrence, and 15% present with metastatic disease that is not amenable to curative therapy. Management of patients with recurrent or metastatic (r/m) NPC who are not candidates for local salvage therapy is challenging in Canada, as there is uncertainty in extrapolating evidence that is largely generated from Southeast China to non-endemic regions such as Canada. Currently, treatment options in Canada are limited to chemotherapy regimens that can only achieve short-term response and prolongation of survival. The addition of anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibodies to chemotherapy has been shown to extend progression-free survival in recurrent r/m NPC compared to chemotherapy alone; however, approval of PD-1 inhibitors in Canada has lagged behind other jurisdictions where NPC is non-endemic. This paper reviews the current systemic treatment landscape for r/m NPC in Canada, highlights unmet treatment needs for patients who are not candidates for curative therapy, and discusses the challenges and opportunities that lie in emerging therapies.https://www.mdpi.com/1718-7729/32/1/48nasopharyngeal carcinomahead and neck cancerEpstein-Barr virushuman papillomavirusimmunotherapy |
| spellingShingle | Anna Spreafico Eric Winquist Cheryl Ho Brian O’Sullivan Nathaniel Bouganim Neil Chua Sarah Doucette Lillian L. Siu Desiree Hao A Canadian Perspective on Systemic Therapy for Recurrent or Metastatic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Current Oncology nasopharyngeal carcinoma head and neck cancer Epstein-Barr virus human papillomavirus immunotherapy |
| title | A Canadian Perspective on Systemic Therapy for Recurrent or Metastatic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma |
| title_full | A Canadian Perspective on Systemic Therapy for Recurrent or Metastatic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma |
| title_fullStr | A Canadian Perspective on Systemic Therapy for Recurrent or Metastatic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Canadian Perspective on Systemic Therapy for Recurrent or Metastatic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma |
| title_short | A Canadian Perspective on Systemic Therapy for Recurrent or Metastatic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma |
| title_sort | canadian perspective on systemic therapy for recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma |
| topic | nasopharyngeal carcinoma head and neck cancer Epstein-Barr virus human papillomavirus immunotherapy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1718-7729/32/1/48 |
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