Robert Louis Ferris

BACKGROUND: Patients with platinum-refractory recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck have few treatment options and poor prognosis. Nivolumab significantly improved survival of this patient population when compared with standard single-agent therapy of investigator's choice in Checkmate 141; here we report the effect of nivolumab on patient-reported outcomes (PROs).

METHODS: CheckMate 141 was a randomised, open-label, phase 3 trial in patients with recurrent ...

IMPORTANCE: At many institutions, computed tomography with iodinated intravenous contrast medium is the preferred imaging modality for staging of the neck in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. However, few studies have specifically assessed the diagnostic accuracy of computed tomography for determining the presence or absence of extracapsular spread (ECS).

OBJECTIVE: To determine the accuracy of modern, contrast-enhanced, multidetector computed tomography in the diagnosis of ...

BACKGROUND: Targeting the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) axis has demonstrated clinical benefit in recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (R/M HNSCC). Combining immunotherapies targeting PD-L1 and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) has shown evidence of additive activity in several tumor types. This phase III study evaluated the efficacy of durvalumab (an anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody) or durvalumab ...

PURPOSE: Tumor antigen-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAb) block oncogenic signaling and induce Fcγ receptor (FcγR)-mediated cytotoxicity. However, the role of CD8(+) CTL and FcγR in initiating innate and adaptive immune responses in mAb-treated human patients with cancer is still emerging.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: FcγRIIIa codon 158 polymorphism was correlated with survival in 107 cetuximab-treated patients with head and neck cancer (HNC). Flow cytometry was carried out to quantify EGF ...

BACKGROUND: Patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck after platinum chemotherapy have a very poor prognosis and limited therapeutic options. Nivolumab, an anti-programmed death 1 (PD-1) monoclonal antibody, was assessed as treatment for this condition.

METHODS: In this randomized, open-label, phase 3 trial, we assigned, in a 2:1 ratio, 361 patients with recurrent squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck whose disease had progressed within 6 ...

PURPOSE: Two modern methods of reirradiation, intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), are established for patients with recurrent or second primary squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (rSCCHN). We performed a retrospective multi-institutional analysis to compare methods.

METHODS AND MATERIALS: Data from patients with unresectable rSCCHN previously irradiated to ≥40 Gy who underwent reirradiation with IMRT or SBRT were ...

BACKGROUND: The authors hypothesized that histogenetic classification of salivary duct carcinoma (SDC) could account for de novo tumors and those with morphologic or molecular evidence (pleomorphic adenoma gene 1 [PLAG1], high-mobility group AT hook 2 [HMGA2] rearrangement, amplification) of pleomorphic adenoma (PA).

METHODS: SDCs (n = 66) were reviewed for morphologic evidence of PA. PLAG1 and HMGA2 alterations were detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). PLAG1-positive ...

BACKGROUND: Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology is a common approach to evaluating thyroid nodules, although 20% to 30% of FNAs have indeterminate cytology, which hampers the appropriate management of these patients. Follicular (or oncocytic) neoplasm/suspicious for a follicular (or oncocytic) neoplasm (FN/SFN) is a common indeterminate diagnosis with a cancer risk of approximately 15% to 30%. In this study, the authors tested whether the most complete next-generation sequencing (NGS) ...

Immunotherapy with the EGFR-specific mAb cetuximab is clinically effective in 10–20% of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Little information is available about the mechanism(s) underlying patients’ differential clinical response to cetuximab-based immunotherapy, although this information may contribute to optimizing the design of cetuximab-based immunotherapy. Our understanding of these mechanisms would benefit from the characterization of the variables ...

PURPOSE: Locally recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma can be treated with curative intent by surgical salvage or reirradiation with or without chemotherapy. We have previously demonstrated the feasibility and safety of stereotactic body reirradiation at our institution; however, efficacy has been unsatisfactory. Based on the successful combination of cetuximab with radiotherapy in locally-advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, we compared stereotactic body ...

Importance: Approximately 20% of fine-needle aspirations (FNA) of thyroid nodules have indeterminate cytology, most frequently Bethesda category III or IV. Diagnostic surgeries can be avoided for these patients if the nodules are reliably diagnosed as benign without surgery.

Objective: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of a multigene classifier (GC) test (ThyroSeq v3) for cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules.

Design, Setting, and Participants: Prospective, blinded cohort study ...

PURPOSE: Cetuximab, which modulates immune responses, may affect the efficacy of subsequent immunotherapy. Here, we assessed outcomes with nivolumab, by prior cetuximab exposure, in patients with recurrent or metastatic (R/M) squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) who had experienced progression within 6 months of platinum-containing chemotherapy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: In the randomized, open-label, phase III CheckMate 141 trial, patients were randomized 2:1 to nivolumab 3 ...

BACKGROUND: Extracapsular spread (ECS) in cervical lymph node metastases from head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is regarded as an adverse prognostic factor and is often used to select patients who may benefit from adjuvant therapy. The prognostic value of ECS was evaluated for patients with oropharyngeal SCC (OPC; with known p16/human papillomavirus [HPV] status) and for patients with SCC of the oral cavity (OCC).

METHODS: Disease-specific survival (DSS) was assessed among SCC ...

IMPORTANCE: Positive margins are associated with poor prognosis among patients with oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). However, wide variation exists in the margin sampling technique.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of the margin sampling technique on local recurrence (LR) in patients with stage I or II oral tongue SCC.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A retrospective study was conducted from January 1, 1986, to December 31, 2012, in 5 tertiary care centers following tumor ...

OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS: The utility of elective neck dissection in the management of patients with oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer who present without neck metastases remains controversial. The study addressed the question of whether elective neck dissection improves regional control and survival in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity and oropharynx presenting with T1/T2 node-negative disease.

STUDY DESIGN: A nonrandomized, uncontrolled retrospective chart ...