ANZHNCS Webinar | From Trial to Practice: Implementing Perioperative Pembrolizumab for Locally Advanced HNSCC | 20 May 2026

Date: Wednesday 20 May 2026
Time: 7 – 8pm AEST (60mins)
Online via Zoom 

Join us for an evidence-focused webinar unpacking the KEYNOTE-689 phase 3 trial and what perioperative pembrolizumab could mean for the standard management of locally advanced head and neck squamous-cell carcinoma (HNSCC). In this webinar, we’ll translate the latest data into practical takeaways for multidisciplinary teams involved in surgical planning and postoperative therapy.

Through a clear walk-through of trial design (neoadjuvant plus adjuvant pembrolizumab added to surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy with or without cisplatin), we’ll review the primary endpoint of event-free survival and the reported outcomes across PD-L1 subgroups. We’ll also discuss treatment-related and immune-mediated adverse events reported in the study, and what these findings may imply for patient selection, perioperative coordination, and follow-up.

Speakers:
A/Prof Brett Hughes, Medical Oncologist, RBWH, Brisbane
A/Prof Martin Batstone, Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon, Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital, Brisbane
Dr Bella Nguyen, Medical Oncologist, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Perth
Dr Caroline Connell, Radiation Oncologist, Genesis Care, Adelaide
Prof Ruta Gupta, Anatomical Pathologist, NSW Health Pathology, Sydney
Ms Tracey Nicholls, Nurse Practitioner ENT, Flinders Medical Centre, Adelaide

Learning Objectives:
Understand the KEYNOTE-689 study design and how pembrolizumab was integrated around surgery
Interpret event-free survival results at 36 months
Discuss practical considerations for integrating perioperative immunotherapy into multidisciplinary care pathways
Review reported safety outcomes, including grade ≥3 treatment-related and immune-mediated adverse events

Who should attend?
Head and neck surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, oncology pharmacists, nurses, trainees, and MDT coordinators seeking a concise, data-driven update on perioperative immunotherapy in locally advanced HNSCC.

Proudly supported by MSD.

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International Keynote Speaker

Professor Vickie E Baracos, Department of Oncology, University of Alberta, Canada

Webinar available to be viewed on the ANZHNCS YouTube channel

In conjunction with ANZHNCS this webinar was proudly supported by Danone and brought to you in association with Head & Neck Cancer Australia.

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18 April October 2024, 6:00pm to 7:00pm (AEDT)

Presenter

Professor Suzanne Chambers AO, RN BA BAppPsyc(Hons) PhD FCHP

Event available to be viewed by members on the ANZHNCS YouTube channel

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22 October 2023, 3:30-4:30pm (AEDT)

Presenters

Providence Cancer Centre/Earles Chiles Research Institute, Portland Oregon:

Dr Marka Crittenden MD, PhD – Radiation Oncologist
Dr Rom Leidner MD – Medical Oncologist
Dr Bryan Bell MD, DDS, FACS, FRSC(Ed) – Head and Neck Surgeon

Event available to be viewed by members on the ANZHNCS YouTube channel

ANZHNCS Webinar | Advanced practice and innovation by dietitians: improving care and outcomes for people with head and neck cancer | 1 June 2023

Thursday 1 June 2023 at 6.00pm AEST

Chair and panel facilitator

Jenelle Loeliger AdvAPD

Head, Nutrition & Speech Pathology Department, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre Honorary Fellow, Deakin University

Presenters

A/Prof. Merran Findlay PhD AdvAPD
Executive Research Lead – Cancer Nutrition, Sydney Local Health District; Clinical Associate Professor University of Sydney; Oncology Dietetics Clinical Research Fellow, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse

Jane Stewart APD
Clinical Lead Dietitian, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Panel members

A/Prof. Merran Findlay
Jane Stewart
Tsien Fua – Radiation Oncologist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
Sarah Davies – Nurse Practitioner Head and Neck Cancer, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse
Rhys Hughes – Senior Speech Pathologist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Event available to be viewed by members on the ANZHNCS YouTube channel

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