Ph 2 Investigator-Sponsored Trial of Neoadjuvant Radiation and Evorpacept + Keytruda in Patients with Untreated HPV-Mediated Oropharyngeal Cancer initiated

“Despite standard immune and chemoradiation neoadjuvant therapies for patients with locoregionally advanced HPVOC, associated severe toxicities and lack of durable responses underscore the need for novel therapies” said Dr. Califano. “Early clinical studies with immunotherapy in combination with stereotactic body radiation therapy, which precisely delivers high doses of radiation to a small target, have shown encouraging immune-mediated anti-tumor responses in these patients. Radiotherapy induces the release of tumor-associated antigens and upregulates PD-L1 expression by tumor cells. Blocking the CD47/SIRPα axis may yield a synergistic anti-tumor effect when combined with radiotherapy and immunotherapy. The addition of evorpacept to neoadjuvant immunoradiotherapy is a promising concept that could be an effective new strategy to downstage patients prior to surgery.”