Head and neck cancers (HNC) are the 9th most common malignancy and 6th most deadly worldwide. 80% of HNCs are squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC). The overall response and survival rate for HNSCC are quite low, and there is a dramatic need for effective and targeted treatments of HNSCC. EGF Receptor (EGFR) is highly expressed in over 90% of HNSCCs, making EGFR an attractive target. Unfortunately, EGFR inhibitors become less effective for treatment over time as HNSCCs adapt to alternate pathways. University of Colorado researchers, led by Drs. Zhirui Wang and Shi-Long Lu, have yielded a bivalent epidermal growth factor (EGF)-diphtheria fusion toxin to treat HNSCC that has significantly improved efficacy and remarkably reduced off-target toxicity compared to the monovalent toxin. This therapeutic shows promise as a novel treatment of EGFR+ HNSCC that avoids alternative pathways seen in EGFR inhibitor resistance.
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