Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and peripheral blood biomarkers correlate with survival outcomes but not response among head and neck and salivary cancer treated with pembrolizumab and vorinostat

Cassie Pan, Qian Vicky Wu, Jenna Voutsinas, Jeffrey J. Houlton, Brittany Barber, Neal Futran, George E. Laramore, Jay J. Liao, Upendra Parvathaneni, Renato G. Martins, Jonathan R. Fromm, Cristina P. Rodriguez

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

11 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Associations between peripheral blood biomarkers and oncologic outcomes were explored in recurrent/metastatic (R/M) head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HN) and salivary gland cancer (SGC) treated with pembrolizumab and vorinostat on a phase II trial (NCT02538510). Experimental Design: Twenty-five HN and 25 SGCs were treated with pembrolizumab and vorinostat. Baseline peripheral blood was available in 21 HN and 20 SGCs and evaluated for associations with grade ≥3 adverse events (G ≥ 3AE) by CTCAEv4, objective response rate (ORR), overall survival (OS), and progression-free survival (PFS). Results: Higher pretreatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and neutrophils, as well as lower pretreatment lymphocytes and T helper cells correlated with worse OS and PFS. Higher NLR further predicted increased rates of G ≥ 3AEs. No correlations with ORR were observed. Conclusions: In a prospectively evaluated cohort of HN and SGCs treated with pembrolizumab and vorinostat, we observed novel associations between peripheral blood biomarkers and oncologic outcomes and toxicities.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)391-397
Number of pages7
JournalHead and Neck
Volume45
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2023
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • head and neck cancer
  • immunotherapy
  • pembrolizumab
  • peripheral blood biomarkers
  • salivary gland cancer

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Otorhinolaryngology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and peripheral blood biomarkers correlate with survival outcomes but not response among head and neck and salivary cancer treated with pembrolizumab and vorinostat'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this