Immunotherapy inches forward in head and neck cancer trials
Cancer Center expert featured in Targeted Therapies in Oncology article
The University of Cincinnati Cancer Center's Trisha Wise-Draper was featured in a Targeted Therapies in Oncology article discussing the current state and future of immunotherapy trials to treat head and neck cancer.
Immunotherapy treatments use the body's own immune system to target cancer cells and have become an important option for many types of cancer. But there is more to learn on the best uses of immunotherapy in locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).
“Outside of the recurrent and metastatic setting, where we have clear indications about when to give immunotherapy, I think it’s still too early to give it in the definitive setting,” said Wise-Draper, MD, PhD, a Cancer Center physician researcher, professor of medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology, section head of medical oncology, co-leader of the Head and neck Experimental Advancement Laboratory in UC's College of Medicine and deputy director of UC's Office of Clinical Research.
“I’d wait until we have a little bit more information, especially with giving immunotherapy before surgery, until we have the results from the clinical trial.”
Read the Targeted Therapies in Oncology article.
Featured photo at top of Wise-Draper, left, and Vinita Takiar in the Head and neck Experimental Advancement Laboratory. Photo/Colleen Kelley/UC Marketing + Brand.
Related Stories
Sugar overload killing hearts
November 10, 2025
Two in five people will be told they have diabetes during their lifetime. And people who have diabetes are twice as likely to develop heart disease. One of the deadliest dangers? Diabetic cardiomyopathy. But groundbreaking University of Cincinnati research hopes to stop and even reverse the damage before it’s too late.
Is going nuclear the solution to Ohio’s energy costs?
November 10, 2025
The Ohio Capital Journal recently reported that as energy prices continue to climb, economists are weighing the benefits of going nuclear to curb costs. The publication dove into a Scioto Analysis survey of 18 economists to weigh the pros and cons of nuclear energy. One economist featured was Iryna Topolyan, PhD, professor of economics at the Carl H. Lindner College of Business.
App turns smartwatch into detector of structural heart disease
November 10, 2025
An app that uses an AI model to read a single-lead ECG from a smartwatch can detect structural heart disease, researchers reported at the 2025 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association. Although the technology requires further validation, researchers said it could help improve the identification of patients with heart failure, valvular conditions and left ventricular hypertrophy before they become symptomatic, which could improve the prognosis for people with these conditions.