I'm sorry to hear of your recurrence, dmbart!
As mentioned, I would definitely recommend a consultation at a NCI CCC or CC in addition too, any NCCN member hospital or other top rated hospital listed in the U.S. News Reports best hospital, highly rated in ENTand Cancer, that have high volume you can go to, who may come up with a curative or different type treatment. Sometimes they will plan, and oversee your treatment, work with your doctors, and let you do treatment locally. Many also have housing available, suggested or are close to an ACS Hope Lodge, where I stayed for 6 weeks for one treatment, so locations may not be limited to one location, but may be by insurance and others.
At one point of my many recurrence, maybe 5th, total 7, I was presented with limited re-treatment options. I searched out new doctors at a CCC, who treated me much further than anyone recommended or knew, inckuding myself. My last treatment, and cancer three years ago, was presented by my ENT and Radiologist at the ASTRO Symposium for complicated head and neck cancer cases.
As mentioned, Keytruda and Opdiva were approved last year by the FDA for treatment for recurrent or metastic squamous cell head and neck cancer following progression on platinum chemotherapy. They pretty much work the same, from my understanding. What may influence a doctor suggesting either one is their experience with one particlar drug or invokvent with a clinical trial. Immunotherapies are not curative, at this time, but sime have seen durable responses. Only Surgery, Radiation, and Chemoradiation or any cobinatuon are curative, and not chemo alone. Usually with recurrences, the first option is surgery, with or without radiation or Chemoradiation.
There are a hundred immunotherapy clinical trials I've seen (see below). What their also working on is combining different immunothepies, some with conventonal chemotherapy and some radiation, which make the immunotherapy work better, but may also may increase toxicities.
The recommended minimum time for re-radiation I've seen is 6 months, and had re-irridation several times after a year, total 5x to the same area with 3 different tyoes, but many other factors, and patient selection are involved, so that may be an option to discus.
In addition to Christine's links, here is a link to the Cancer Research Institute, CRI, that have listed many different types of immunotherapy clinical trials for Head and Neck Cancer:
http://www.cancerresearch.org/cancer-immunotherapy/impacting-all-cancers/head-and-neck-cancerGood luck
