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69 active trials for Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck

Combination of UCPVax Vaccine and Atezolizumab for the Treatment of Human Papillomavirus Positive Cancers (VolATIL)

70% all cases of cervical cancer, 95% of anal cancers and about 70% of oropharyngeal cancers are linked to Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection. HPV oncogenic proteins are trans-activators of telomerase. Indeed, E6 oncoprotein transactivates the human telomerase (hTert). Our group has conducted a clinical trial (NCT02402842) in advanced squamous cell anal cancer (SCCA) and investigators have shown a correlation between the presence of anti-HPV immunity and anti-telomerase T helpher 1 (TH1) CD4 T cell responses, establishing telomerase as an appropriate antigen in HPV-related cancers. Tumor-reactive CD4+ T cells have been found to ensure efficient effector Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes (CTL) recruitment at the tumor site. Promoting tumor specific TH1 CD4 activation might be an attractive therapeutic option to enhance anti-PD-1/PD-L1 (Programmed cell Death-1/Programmed cell Death-Ligand1) efficacy. However, no option is currently available to expand tumor specific TH1 lymphocytes in most patients. Then, investigators have identified four novel MHC (Major Histocompatibility Complex) class II-restricted peptides derived from human telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) referred as "Universal Cancer Peptides" (UCP). UCPVax is a therapeutic cancer vaccine developed by our team and composed of two separate peptides called UCP2 and UCP4 derived from telomerase. This UCPVax vaccine is currently evaluated in a multicenter phase I/II study in Non Small Lung Cancer (NSCLC) (NCT2818426) and seems to show to be safe and immunogenic. PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint is a relevant candidate target for immunotherapy in HPV+ cancers, based on the prominent role of PD-1 and its ligand PD-L1 in HPV-driven immune-evasion. There is a strong rational of using PD-1 therapy in HPV+ cancers, however anti-PD-1/PD-L1 treatment induces a limited number of long term responses in HPV disease. Combining anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy with an antitumor vaccine gains serious consideration in HPV+ cancers. Indeed, anti-cancer vaccines can induce tumor-specific T cells expansion and activation and therefore restore the cancer-immunity cycle in patients lacking pre-existing anti-tumor responses. So investigators propose to determine the clinical interest and immunological efficacy of a treatment combining the CD4 helper T-inducer cancer vaccine (UCPVax) with atezolizumab in patients with HPV+ cancers by evaluation of the objective response rate at 4 months according to iRecist criteria.

Start: February 2020
ADXS 11-001 Vaccination Prior to Robotic Surgery, HPV-Positive Oropharyngeal Cancer

Some cancers may be related to an infection with a virus, such as the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). HPV related Oropharyngeal cancer (HPVOPC) accounts for 80% of oropharynx cancer cases in the United States. HPVOPC has better prognosis than patients with HPV negative oropharynx cancer. In many hospitals, the standard of care treatment for oropharyngeal cancer is surgery and/or radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy. While chances of survival for most patients with HPVOPC is very good, current treatments are associated with short- and long-term side effects which can be severe. In pre-clinical research using animal models of cancer, vaccination targeting the HPV virus has been found to cause tumor regression. Thus, approaches which target the unique characteristics of HPV-infected cancer cells, such as therapeutic vaccination, are attractive strategies for potentially reducing radiotherapy and chemo radiotherapy regimens (and thus decreasing toxicity) and enhancing long-term disease control. The purpose of this study is to see if an experimental vaccine, ADXS11-001, is effective in stimulating the body's defense system against HPV-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma before transoral (through the mouth) surgery. The experimental product ADXS11-001 uses a live strain of the Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) bacteria that has been genetically modified such that the risk of getting an infection is significantly reduced. Several research studies have already been conducted with ADXS11-001 in men and women with cancer. So far, approximately 722 doses of ADXS11-001 have been given to 290 patients with HPV associated cancers.

Start: December 2013