Unexpected response to fourth-line paclitaxel in a patient with metastatic oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, immunotherapy-refractory: a case report

We report the experience of a patient with metastatic oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer p16 and human papillomavirus-DNA positive who received chemotherapy with weekly paclitaxel after progressing on nivolumab. Our patient presented a partial response to fourth line paclitaxel, which lasted more than 2 years, with an improvement of his quality of life too. These results support the hypothesis of synergism between immunotherapy and conventional chemotherapies. Even in the setting of immune-refractory disease, immunotherapy may affect tumor immune microenvironment thus leading to a synergistic effect with conventional chemotherapy and achieving unexpected results.
Source: Anti-Cancer Drugs - Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: Case Reports Source Type: research