Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck | Disease Landscape & Forecast | G7 | 2025

Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) is the seventh most commonly diagnosed cancer. It encompasses a spectrum of heterogeneous tumors originating at multiple sites in the head and neck. Chemotherapy remains standard in locoregionally advanced SCCHN, but the recent FDA’s and EC approval of perioperative pembrolizumab is expected to reshape early-stage management. Targeted therapies are frequently prescribed to patients with recurrent or metastatic disease. The usual treatment algorithm starts with a PD-1 inhibitor (pembrolizumab [Keytruda]) for recurrent or metastatic disease, followed by an EGFR-targeting agent (cetuximab [Erbitux]) after progression. The expected approval of petosemtamab (in combination with pembrolizumab), will significantly impact treatment in the recurrent and metastatic settings during the 2024-2034 forecast period. Ficlatuzumab (in combination with cetuximab) and petosemtamab in later-line treatment are expected to further reshape the treatment landscape for patients with recurrent and metastatic disease. The approval of toripalimab is setting a new treatment paradigm for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), with strong adoption anticipated. The recently approved penpulimab is expected to experience a similar uptake among these patients.

Questions answered

• What are the sizes of the clinically and commercially relevant drug-treatable populations in this market, and how will drug-treatment rates change over time?
• What barriers and drivers will influence the adoption of SCCHN therapies during the forecast period?
• How will the entry of new pembrolizumab-based combinations, such as petosemtamab, impact the treatment for first-line recurrent or metastatic SCCHN?
• What are the key market drivers and constraints, and how is the market expected to evolve over the next 10 years?

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Disease Landscape & Forecast provides comprehensive market intelligence with world-class epidemiology, keen insight into current and emerging therapies, and drug forecasts supported by detailed primary and secondary research.

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Disease Landscape & Forecast will be updated throughout the year to provide timely insights and analyses as material indication-specific news and events unfold.