SUMMARY
The ESMO congress was held from 13–17th of September 2024, in a live and virtual format. During this congress, the promising combination of eftilagimod alpha and pembrolizumab as a chemotherapy-sparing regimen in first-line treatment of recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) shows puzzling, but rather disappointing results at first analysis. Since adjuvant atezolizumab after concomitant chemoradiotherapy failed to improve results in locally advanced HNSCC, all eyes are now on the phase III JADE study in the same setting with dostarlimab. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is an effective intervention that could improve organ preservation in patients with T3 and T4a nasal and paranasal sinus squamous cell carcinoma. Chemotherapy and androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) present equivalent results in androgen receptor (AR)-expressing salivary gland tumours, and trastuzumab deruxtecan enters as an efficacious new treatment line in this rare tumour type. In this report, the most important headlines will be discussed, with comments on the clinical relevance of the different studies.
(BELG J MED ONCOL 2024;18(8):317–324)
