PD-1 Combined with VEGF/VEGFR2 Inhibitors for the Re-Treatment of Metastatic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Abstract

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma has a good prognosis with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) but recurrence occurs in 8–10% of patients, mostly in the form of distant metastases. Current systemic treatments for relapsed/metastatic (R/M) nasopharyngeal carcinoma are limited, resulting in poor overall survival rates. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have shown some activity, but their small sample size and lack of overall survival data limit their effectiveness. This study reports a patient with R/M nasopharyngeal carcinoma who had a durable response to salvage therapy with camrelizumab plus anlotinib, with no serious side effects and high quality of life. The combination of immune checkpoint inhibitors and antivascular monoclonal antibodies may have a mechanism for enhancing the antitumor response. VEGF/VEGFR2 inhibitors combined with PD-1 inhibitors are being clinically explored as a potential new treatment option for R/M nasopharyngeal carcinoma. These findings offer hope for the development of effective, tumor-specific treatments for patients with R/M nasopharyngeal carcinoma.