AUTHOR=Puttagunta Prashant , Pamulapati Saagar V. , Bates James E. , Gross Jennifer H. , Stokes William A. , Schmitt Nicole C. , Steuer Conor , Teng Yong , Saba Nabil F. TITLE=Critical review of the current and future prospects of VEGF-TKIs in the management of squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oncology VOLUME=13 YEAR=2023 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2023.1310106 DOI=10.3389/fonc.2023.1310106 ISSN=2234-943X ABSTRACT=

As the prognosis for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck remains unsatisfactory when compared to other malignancies, novel therapies targeting specific biomarkers are a critical emerging area of great promise. One particular class of drugs that has been developed to impede tumor angiogenesis is vascular endothelial growth factor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors. As current data is primarily limited to preclinical and phase I/II trials, this review summarizes the current and future prospects of these agents in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. In particular, the combination of these agents with immunotherapy is an exciting area that may be a promising option for patients with recurrent or metastatic disease, evidenced in recent trials such as the combination immune checkpoint inhibitors with lenvatinib and cabozantinib. In addition, the use of such combination therapy preoperatively in locally advanced disease is another area of interest.