Evaluation of antitumor response to HDAC inhibitors in advanced head and neck cancer: A proportional meta-analysis of clinical trials.
Allen Pinto, Rajesh Raju, Soumya Patil et al.
✦ AI-curated · Sources linked
In 30 seconds
This proportional meta-analysis assessed antitumor response to histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) in advanced head and neck cancer (HNC), using seven single-arm clinical trials with RECIST-based response data. Among 101 patients, 74 had a favorable response; the random-effects pooled proportion was 0.65. The abstract also reports higher average response proportions when HDACi was given concurrently with chemotherapy, chemoradiotherapy, or targeted therapy than among previously treated patients. These findings describe responses in single-arm trials and do not establish comparative treatment benefit.
Key findings
- Across 7 single-arm trials, 74 of 101 patients had a favorable antitumor response; the pooled proportion was 0.65.
- Average response proportion was 0.758 with concurrent chemotherapy, chemoradiotherapy, or targeted therapy, versus 0.485 among previously treated patients.
- The reported response proportion was 0.49 for vorinostat and 0.77 for non-vorinostat HDAC inhibitors.
Why it matters
The pooled response estimate suggests antitumor activity of HDACi in advanced HNC, while the reported variation by treatment context and agent may help frame questions for further clinical evaluation. Because the evidence comes from single-arm trials, these proportions cannot show whether HDACi improves outcomes compared with other treatments or establish which regimen is preferable.
What to keep in mind
The meta-analysis included only seven single-arm trials, so it lacks randomized comparators and cannot establish comparative efficacy.