Marwan Fakih, MD

A panelist discusses how the historical standard of care for metastatic squamous cell anal carcinoma evolved from cisplatin-based regimens to carboplatin and paclitaxel as the established backbone treatment based on the InterAACT trial, which demonstrated superior progression-free survival and overall survival (20 months vs 12 months) with better tolerability, until recent changes with the POD1UM-303 trial shifted the current standard of care.

A panelist discusses how squamous cell cancer of the anal canal has nearly doubled in incidence over 30 years, with human papillomavirus infection being the primary risk factor that is significantly amplified by immunosuppression from conditions like HIV, immunosuppressive medications or organ transplantation, particularly affecting older patients and women at higher rates.