[Comment] Adjuvant nivolumab for resected high-risk head and neck cancer

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Source: The Lancet

Original: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(26)00133-9/fullt...

Published: 2026-01-24

For the past 20 years, the standard adjuvant treatment for high-risk resected locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck has been concurrent cisplatin with radiation therapy.[1] The NIVOPOST-OP trial found that the addition of programmed death 1 (PD-1) inhibitor without chemotherapy significantly improved disease-free survival.[1] This combination represents a potential new standard of care in the adjuvant treatment of resected high-risk head and neck cancer.[1] Nivolumab, which is a PD-1 inhibitor, thus becomes a promising alternative to traditional chemotherapy combined with radiation.[1] The results of the study indicate an improvement in the prognosis of patients with this diagnosis.[1]