Time toxicity of nivolumab in metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients: a single-institution experience

BACKGROUND: Treatment of platinum-refractory recurrent and metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (r/mHNSCC) involves immune-checkpoint inhibitors. Time toxicity (TT) is an emerging metric with implications for patient quality of life and decision-making. We sought to evaluate TT associated with nivolumab in these patients. METHODS: This is a retrospective single-institution review of patients with platinum-refractory r/mHNSCC seen at an academic cancer center between 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2022 in Ontario, Canada. Primary outcome is TT, defined as any number of days spent undergoing cancer-related activities. RESULTS: Of 56 patients evaluated, median age was 63 years (33-85) and 84% were male. Median overall survival (OS) and grade 3 immune-toxicities were 7.6 months and 6.2%, respectively. Median TT was 24 days (1-109), accounting for 7.6% of OS. TT accounted for 14.9% of OS in poor responders. TT accounted for only 4-6% for patients who survived more than a year. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides an important and underexplored patient-centered metric in TT, especially in the context of incurable HNSCC with abysmal survival outcome. Our findings suggest that TT varies significantly between responders and non-responders. Duration of TT should be discussed with patients in shared decision-making when discussing palliative nivolumab.