Investigational multitargeted kinase inhibitors in development for head and neck neoplasms.

Investigational multitargeted kinase inhibitors in development for head and neck neoplasms. Expert Opin Investig Drugs. 2019 Feb 12;: Authors: Sola AM, Johnson DE, Grandis JR Abstract INTRODUCTION: Despite advances in treatment, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) survival rates remain stagnant. Current treatment is associated with significant toxicities and includes chemotherapy, radiation, surgery and few targeted treatments. Targeted treatments, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeted agent, cetuximab, and immune checkpoint inhibitors, pembrolizumab and nivolumab, show improved toxicity profiles and modestly improved survival in select patients. An urgent need remains to identify novel targeted treatments for single-agent or combined therapy use. Areas covered: Multitargeted kinase inhibitors are small molecule inhibitors with limited toxicity. This review will focus on early-stage investigations of multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors (m-TKIs) (those that target at least two tyrosine kinases) for HNSCC. Preclinical and early trials investigating m-TKIs for various disease settings of HNSCC will be evaluated for efficacy, identification of significant biomarkers and potential for combination therapy. Expert opinion: Few single agent m-TKIs have demonstrated efficacy in unselected HNSCC populations. The most promising clinical results have been obtained when m-TKIs are tested in combination with other therapi...
Source: Expert Opinion on Investigational Drugs - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Tags: Expert Opin Investig Drugs Source Type: research