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Activity of weekly paclitaxel−cetuximab chemotherapy in unselected patients with recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: prognostic factors

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Abstract

Background

Standard treatment for recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (RM-SCCHN) is based in on platinum and cetuximab combination therapy. Unfortunately, not all patients are candidates to receive platinum-based treatment, because of different conditions as comorbidity and poor performance status. Weekly paclitaxel and cetuximab (WPC) is an active therapeutic alternative, based on a phase II study, with less toxicity. Our main objective is to confirm its activity in unselected patients, mostly unfit for aggressive therapies, analysing also some clinically relevant prognostic factors (PFs).

Methods

Retrospective data was collected for RM-SCCHN patients, treated at our institution between January 2008 and July 2014 with weekly paclitaxel (80 mg/m2) and cetuximab (400/250 mg/m2).

Results

148 patients were treated. The objective response rate (OR) was as follows: 13 patients (8.78%) complete response (CR); 57 patients (38.51%) partial response (PR) and 30 patients (20.3%) stable disease (SD). Median overall survival (OS) was 10 months (95% CI 8.31–11.69) and median progression free survival (PFS) was 7 months (95% CI 5.88–8.12). Response to treatment showed independent prognosis relevance as PF in multivariate analysis for PFS and OS. Furthermore, decline in serum magnesium during the treatment was also an independent PF for OS.

Conclusions

WPC activity was confirmed as a useful therapy on real-life unselected RM-SCCHN patients, with similar benefit to that obtained in the phase II study, and comparable to platinum and cetuximab based treatment, confirming its value in unfit patients. In addition to treatment response, a change in serum magnesium values during treatment was proved as independent PF on OS.

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Correspondence to I. Pajares Bernad.

Ethics declarations

The study was assessed and approved by the Aragon clinical research ethics committee (CEICA) in Spain.

Conflict of interest

Isabel Pajares Bernad: no conflicts of interest. Javier Martínez Trufero: no conflicts of interest. Lourdes Calera Urquizu: no conflicts of interest. Roberto A. Pazo Cid: no conflicts of interest. Ana Cebollero de Miguel: no conflicts of interest. María J. Agustín: no conflicts of interest. Manuela Lanzuela: no conflicts of interest. Antonio Antón: no conflicts of interest.

Research involving human participants and/or animals

This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

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Additional information

I. Pajares Bernad and J. Martínez Trufero active members of TTCC (Spanish Group of Research in Head and Neck Cancer).

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Bernad, I.P., Trufero, J.M., Urquizu, L.C. et al. Activity of weekly paclitaxel−cetuximab chemotherapy in unselected patients with recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: prognostic factors. Clin Transl Oncol 19, 769–776 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12094-016-1604-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12094-016-1604-z

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