Recurrent/Metastatic HNSCC: Harnessing Immunotherapy in Comprehensive Care

STATEMENT OF NEED

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) represents a heterogeneous group of tumors originating in the mucosal epithelium of the oral cavity, pharynx, and larynx (Johnson et al, 2020). With an aggressive disease course, recurrence rates for HNSCC are high, and prognosis remains poor for advanced-stage tumors despite advances in multimodal therapies (Bhat et al, 2021). Immunotherapies, including immune checkpoint inhibitors, costimulatory agents, antigenic vaccines, adoptive T-cell transfer (ACT), oncolytic virus therapy, and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)–targeted therapies have demonstrated significant efficacy for the treatment of HNSCC (Yu et al, 2022). However, a broadened understanding of disease pathogenesis, molecular and clinical biomarkers, emerging efficacy and safety data, strategies to prevent and mitigate immune-mediated adverse events, and implementation of a multidisciplinary approach for surveillance and survivorship are necessary in order to optimize use of immunotherapies. In this activity, Glenn J. Hanna, MD, Director of the Center for Cancer Therapeutic Innovation at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Deborah Wong, MD, PhD, Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCLA Medical Center, will provide expert perspectives on harnessing immunotherapy in recurrent/metastatic HNSCC to provide comprehensive care.

• Distinguish histopathological, molecular, and clinical biomarkers that can inform prognosis and management of HNSCC
• Assess emerging efficacy and safety data on novel immune checkpoint inhibitors for recurrent/metastatic HNSCC
• Apply strategies to prevent and mitigate immune-mediated adverse events
• Apply a multidisciplinary team approach to the implementation of surveillance and survivorship care plans for patients with recurrent/metastatic HNSCC

PROVIDED BY

JOINTLY ACCREDITED PROVIDER

In support of improving patient care, i3 Health is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

PHYSICIANS

i3 Health designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 1.5 Medical Knowledge MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. Participants will earn MOC points equivalent to the amount of CME credits claimed for the activity. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.

By providing this information, participants are agreeing to allow i3 Health to share this information with the ACCME.

Physician Assistants/Associates

i3 Health has been authorized by the American Academy of PAs (AAPA) to award AAPA Category 1 CME credit for activities planned in accordance with AAPA CME Criteria. This activity is designated for 1.5 AAPA Category 1 CME credits. Approval is valid until 4/2/2025. PAs should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation.

Nurse Practitioners

The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program (AANPCP) accepts AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ from organizations accredited by the ACCME. Individuals are responsible for checking with the AANPCP for further guidelines.

Nursing Continuing Professional Development 

A maximum of 1.5 ANCC contact hours may be earned by learners who successfully complete this nursing continuing professional development activity. This activity has been designated for 1.5 ANCC contact hours of pharmacology credit for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses.

Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number 15824, for 1.5 ANCC contact hours. 

ONCC RECERTIFICATION

The program content has been reviewed by the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation (ONCC) and is acceptable for recertification points.

ONCC review is only for designating content to be used for recertification points and is not for NCPD accreditation. NCPD programs must be formally approved for contact hours by an acceptable accreditor/approver of NCPD to be used for recertification by ONCC. If the NCPD provider fails to obtain formal approval to award contact hours by an acceptable accrediting/approval body, no information related to ONCC recertification may be used in relation to the program.

OCN®, CPHON®, CBCN®, AOCNP®, AOCNS®, and BMTCN® renewal candidates may apply 1.5 ILNA points toward: 

• Care Continuum (OCN®, CBCN®, CPHON®, AOCNP®)
• Oncologic Emergencies (OCN®, CPHON®, AOCNP®)
• Oncology Nursing Practice (OCN®)
• Symptom Management, Palliative Care, Supportive Care (OCN®, CPHON®, AOCNP®)
• Treatment (OCN®, CBCN®, AOCNP®, CPHON®)

Please note that some of the course content applies to multiple content areas. The numerical value above indicates the maximum amount of points that can be claimed in each domain. The total amount of ILNA points claimed may not exceed the total amount of NCPD awarded from this course.

DISCLOSURE OF RELEVANT FINANCIAL INFORMATION WITH INELIGIBLE COMPANIES

i3 Health endorses the standards of the ACCME and ANCC that require everyone in a position to control the content of a CME/NCPD activity to disclose all financial relationships with ineligible companies that are related to the content of the CME/NCPD activity. CME/NCPD activities must be balanced, independent of commercial bias, and promote improvements or quality in health care. All recommendations involving clinical medicine must be based on evidence accepted within the medical profession.

A conflict of interest is created when an individual has an opportunity to affect CME/NCPD content about products or services of an ineligible company with which he/she has a financial relationship, which therefore may bias their opinions and teaching. This may include receiving a salary, royalty, intellectual property rights, consulting fee, honoraria, stocks, or other financial benefits.

i3 Health will identify, review, and mitigate all relevant financial relationships that speakers, authors, or planners disclose prior to an educational activity being delivered to learners. Disclosure of a relationship is not intended to suggest or condone bias in any presentation but is made to provide participants with information that might be of potential importance to their evaluation of a presentation. i3 Health does not endorse any products or services.

Relevant financial relationships exist between the following individuals and ineligible companies:

The i3 Health planners, reviewers, and managers have nothing to disclose.

Glenn J. Hanna, MD, discloses that he has served on an advisory/board panel or as a consultant for Bicara, Bio-Rad, Boxer Capital, Bristol Myers Squibb, Coherus, Elevar, Exicure, General Catalyst, Guardian Bio, Inhibrx, KSQ Therapeutics, Kura Oncology, Maverick Therapeutics, Merck, Naveris, Nextech, PDS Biotech, Prelude, Rain Therapeutics, Regeneron, Remix, Replimune, Sanofi Genzyme, SIRPant, and Surface Oncology; and that he has received grants/research support from Actuate Therapeutics, Bicara, Bristol Myers Squibb, Elevar, Exicure, Genentech, GlaxoSmithKline, ImmunityBio, Kartos Therapeutics, Kite Pharma, KSQ Therapeutics, Kura Oncology, Regeneron, Repertoire, Sanofi Genzyme, and Secura Bio. 

Deborah Wong, MD, PhD, discloses that she has served as a consultant for Merck and Regeneron and that she has received grants/research support from AstraZeneca, Bicara Therapeutics, Bristol Myers Squibb, Checkmate, Flamingo Pharma, Genentech, Gilead, Hookipa, invoX Pharma, Kura Oncology, Lilly, Merck, Pfizer, Regeneron, and TopAlliance BioSciences. 

i3 Health has mitigated all relevant financial relationships.