Single-center retrospective study of association between statin use and response to immune checkpoint blockade in R/M HNSCC

Retrospective studies suggest that statin therapy is associated with response to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) in various tumor types, but this has not yet been investigated in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). A retrospective study at Emory University (Atlanta, GA) included 158 patients receiving at least 3 doses of pembrolizumab or nivolumab with or without chemotherapy for recurrent or metastatic HNSCC. Among these patients, 44 (27.8%) also received statin therapy. Receiving statins compared with no statins was associated with better objective response rate, among patients with (panel A) or without (panel B) chemotherapy. Use of statins was not associated with significantly improved progression-free survival or overall survival. The authors conclude that statin therapy appears to be an independent predictor of response of HNSCC to ICB. Larger, prospective studies are needed to determine whether specific statin drugs can improve survival outcomes in ICB-treated patients.