Programmed death 1 (PD‐1) and ligand (PD‐L1) inhibitors in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: A meta‐analysis

BackgroundPD‐1 and PD‐L1 inhibitors have emerged as promising treatments for patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).MethodsSystematic review and meta‐analysis of PD‐1 and PD‐L1 inhibitors in HNSCC. Outcomes: median overall survival (mOS), median progression‐free survival (mPFS), Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) and treatment‐related adverse events (TRAEs).ResultsEleven trials reported data on 1088 patients (mean age: 59.9 years, range: 18–90). The total mOS was 7.97 months (range: 6.0–16.5). Mean mPFS for all studies was 2.84 months (range: 1.9–6.5). PD‐1 inhibitors had a lower rate of RECIST Progressive Disease than PD‐L1 inhibitors (42.61%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 36.29–49.06 vs. 56.79%, 95% CI: 49.18–64.19, P < 0.001). The rate of TRAEs of any grade (62.7%, 95% CI: 59.8–65.6) did not differ.ConclusionsMeta‐analysis shows the efficacy of PD‐1 and PD‐L1 inhibitors in HNSCC and suggests a possible difference in certain RECIST criterion between PD‐1 and PD‐L1 inhibitors. Future work to investigate the clinical significance of these findings is warranted.