HNSCC
Oncology · 2007–2025
Every decision
| Medicine | Meeting | Outcome | Consumer input |
|---|---|---|---|
| pembrolizumab Perioperative treatment (neoadjuvant and adjuvant) of patients with resectable locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LA HNSCC) of the oral… | Nov 2025 | Recommended with restriction | 2 individuals Neck Cancer Australia · Rare Cancers Australia · Cancer Institute · Medical Oncology Group |
| pembrolizumab First-line treatment of previously untreated recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, pharynx, and larynx in patients with combined… | Mar 2022 | Deferred | 3 individuals Neck Cancers Australia · Rare Cancers Australia · Medical Oncology Group |
| pembrolizumab First-line treatment of previously untreated recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) of the oral cavity, pharynx and larynx,… | Nov 2021 | Deferred | 3 individuals Neck Cancers Australia · Rare Cancers Australia |
| pembrolizumab First-line treatment of recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, pharynx and larynx in patients with PD-L1 combined positive score… | Nov 2020 | Not recommended | 2 individuals Rare Cancers Australia · Medical Oncology Group |
| pembrolizumab Treatment of patients with locally advanced (Stage III) or metastatic (Stage IV) squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) who have failed a… | Jul 2018 | Recommended with restriction | 11 individuals |
| cetuximab Treatment of patients with previously untreated recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN), in combination with… | Mar 2018 | Recommended with restriction | 1 individuals |
| nivolumab Treatment of recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, pharynx or larynx (SCCHN) in patients who have progressed within 6 months… | Mar 2018 | Recommended with restriction | 2 individuals Medical Oncology Group |
| nivolumab Recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, pharynx or larynx in patients who have progressed within 6 months after platinum-based… | Nov 2017 | Not recommended | 1 individuals Rare Cancers Australia · Medical Oncology Group |
| cetuximab Treatment of patients with previously untreated metastatic and/or recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (RM SCCHN) in combination with… | Nov 2016 | Not recommended | input received Rare Cancers Australia |
| docetaxel Neoadjuvant (induction) treatment of locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (oral cavity, larynx, oropharynx, hypopharynx) in… | Jul 2008 | Recommended with restriction | no section in document |
| docetaxel Neoadjuvant treatment of locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (oral cavity, larynx, oropharynx or hypopharynx) in combination with… | Jul 2008 | Recommended with restriction | no section in document |
| cetuximab Treatment in combination with radiotherapy of patients with locally advanced squamous cell cancer of the larynx, oropharynx or hypopharynx (UICC Stage III, IVa… | Mar 2007 | Recommended with restriction | no section in document |
Who spoke
Rare Cancers Australia · Medical Oncology Group · Neck Cancers Australia · Neck Cancer Australia · Cancer Institute
What the PBS pays
$872M in government benefit over 2024–25, across 148,509 services.
This is spend on the medicines considered for this condition, not spend on the disease. A medicine used for several conditions is counted in full under each, so figures across conditions add to more than national PBS expenditure.
| Medicine | Government benefit |
|---|---|
| pembrolizumab | $739.6M |
| nivolumab | $85.2M |
| cetuximab | $42.5M |
| docetaxel | $4.9M |
Appraised elsewhere
NICE, in England and Wales, has appraised 5 technologies for this condition, recommending 4 . A different committee, a different population and a different price: this is what has been looked at there, not a verdict on what happened here.
| Technology | Appraisal | Outcome | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| pembrolizumabPembrolizumab for neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment of resectable locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma | TA1145 | recommended | 2026-04 |
| nivolumabNivolumab for treating recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck after platinum-based chemotherapy | TA736 | recommended restricted | 2021-10 |
| pembrolizumabPembrolizumab for treating recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck after platinum-based chemotherapy (terminated appraisal) | TA570 | terminated | 2019-03 |
| cetuximabCetuximab for treating recurrent or metastatic squamous cell cancer of the head and neck | TA473 | recommended restricted | 2017-08 |
| cetuximabCetuximab for the treatment of locally advanced squamous cell cancer of the head and neck | TA145 | recommended restricted | 2008-06 |
Registered, not subsidised
Medicines on the ARTG for this condition with no PBAC record at all. Registration and subsidy are separate decisions: a medicine can be legally available in Australia and never have been put to the committee.
| Medicine | On the ARTG since | Registrations |
|---|---|---|
| cisplatinCISPLATIN ACCORD cisplatin 10 mg/10 mL concentrated injection vial | 1994 | 10 |
The ARTG export holds current registrations only, so the year is the earliest entry still on the register rather than a first-registration date. The condition here comes from the registered label, which is usually broader than the population a sponsor asks to have subsidised.
Conditions are classified by a language model from the indication text of each submission, so an individual label here can be wrong. Consumer input is read from the document's own consumer comments section: 9 of 9 decisions since 2014 carried some. Silence means no comment reached the committee through that facility, not that nobody was affected. More on how this was built.