• Andrew G. Sikora, MD, PhD, vice chair for research and co-director of the Head and Neck Cancer Program at Baylor College of Medicine, is the principal investigator of the clinical trial evaluating ADXS-HPV in HPV-associated head and neck cancer (HNC).
    • Dr. Sikora briefly described the aggressive surgery and/or chemoradiation treatment that has dramatically improved the prognosis of HNC, but often leaves patients with poor quality of life due to therapy-associated morbidity. Further, it is now recognized that HPV-positive HNC may have a less-aggressive natural history and be amenable to a de-escalated treatment paradigm.
    • The primary aim of the ongoing clinical study of ADXS-HPV in HNC is largely to gain insight into the immunogenicity of the novel treatment at the level of the cancer tissue and circulating plasma, leveraging a window of opportunity between diagnosis and surgical resection of the tumor.
    • Dr. Sikora noted that 8 patients have been enrolled, with preliminary data available in the second half of 2015, and the findings will guide further development of ADXS-HPV in HNC, as well as other cancer types and immunotherapy combinations.