scholarly journals ARTSCAN III: A Randomized Phase III Study Comparing Chemoradiotherapy With Cisplatin Versus Cetuximab in Patients With Locoregionally Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Cancer

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Gebre-Medhin ◽  
Eva Brun ◽  
Per Engström ◽  
Hedda Haugen Cange ◽  
Lalle Hammarstedt-Nordenvall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Head And Neck ◽  
Local Control ◽  
Squamous Cell ◽  
Dose Escalation ◽  
Cumulative Incidence ◽  
Phase Iii ◽  
Locoregional Control ◽  
Concomitant Treatment ◽  
Advanced Head ◽  
Phase Iii Study

PURPOSE We performed an open-label randomized controlled phase III study comparing treatment outcome and toxicity between radiotherapy (RT) with concomitant cisplatin versus concomitant cetuximab in patients with locoregionally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC; stage III-IV according to the Union for International Cancer Control TNM classification, 7th edition). MATERIALS AND METHODS Eligible patients were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive either intravenous cetuximab 400 mg/m2 1 week before start of RT followed by 250 mg/m2/wk, or weekly intravenous cisplatin 40 mg/m2, during RT. RT was conventionally fractionated. Patients with T3-T4 tumors underwent a second random assignment 1:1 between standard RT dose 68.0 Gy to the primary tumor or dose escalation to 73.1 Gy. Primary end point was overall survival (OS) evaluated using adjusted Cox regression analysis. Secondary end points were locoregional control, local control with dose-escalated RT, pattern of failure, and adverse effects. RESULTS Study inclusion was prematurely closed after an unplanned interim analysis when 298 patients had been randomly assigned. At 3 years, OS was 88% (95% CI, 83% to 94%) and 78% (95% CI, 71% to 85%) in the cisplatin and cetuximab groups, respectively (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.63; 95% CI, 0.93 to 2.86; P = .086). The cumulative incidence of locoregional failures at 3 years was 23% (95% CI, 16% to 31%) compared with 9% (95% CI, 4% to 14%) in the cetuximab versus the cisplatin group (Gray’s test P = .0036). The cumulative incidence of distant failures did not differ between the treatment groups. Dose escalation in T3-T4 tumors did not increase local control. CONCLUSION Cetuximab is inferior to cisplatin regarding locoregional control for concomitant treatment with RT in patients with locoregionally advanced HNSCC. Additional studies are needed to identify possible subgroups that still may benefit from concomitant cetuximab treatment.

scholarly journals Pembrolizumab given concomitantly with chemoradiation and as maintenance therapy for locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: KEYNOTE-412

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (18) ◽  
pp. 1235-1243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Pascal Machiels ◽  
Yungan Tao ◽  
Barbara Burtness ◽  
Makoto Tahara ◽  
Lisa Licitra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Head And Neck ◽  
Squamous Cell ◽  
Treatment Guidelines ◽  
Locally Advanced ◽  
Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma ◽  
Phase Iii ◽  
Advanced Head ◽  
Double Blind

Current treatment guidelines for patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) recommend multimodal treatment, including chemoradiation therapy (CRT) or surgery followed by radiation, with or without chemotherapy. The immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab has previously demonstrated antitumor activity in recurrent and/or metastatic HNSCC in large Phase III trials. For patients with locally advanced disease, Phase Ib data on the use of pembrolizumab in combination with chemoradiation have shown the approach to be safe and feasible. We describe here the design and rationale for KEYNOTE-412, a randomized, double-blind, Phase III trial investigating pembrolizumab or placebo administered concurrently with CRT and as maintenance treatment in patients with locally advanced HNSCC. Clinical Trial Registration: NCT03040999 ( ClinicalTrials.gov ).

Quality of life in patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer undergoing chemoradiation with once-a-week versus once-every-three-weeks cisplatin.

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 12092-12092
Author(s):  
Nandini Sharrel Menon ◽  
Vanita Noronha ◽  
Amit Joshi ◽  
Vijay Maruti Patil ◽  
Atanu Bhattacharjee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Head And Neck ◽  
Locally Advanced ◽  
Phase Iii ◽  
Locoregional Control ◽  
Advanced Head ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Eortc Qlq ◽  
The Impact

12092 Background: This trial was conducted to compare the efficacy of low dose once-a-week cisplatin with once-every-3-weeks cisplatin with radiation in locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LAHNSCC). The current analysis focuses on the quality of life (QoL) of patients in this trial. Methods: In this phase III randomized trial, patients with stage III or IV non-metastatic LAHNSCC were randomized to receive cisplatin 30 mg/m2 once a week or cisplatin 100 mg/m2 once every 3 weeks concurrently with curative intent radiotherapy. The primary endpoint was locoregional control. QoL was a key secondary endpoint. QoL was assessed using the EORTC QLQ-C30 (v.3) and EORTC QLQ-H&N35 (v.1). QoL data were assessed at baseline and days 22 and 43 during treatment; at the end of chemoradiation and at each follow-up. The linear mixed effects model was used for longitudinal analysis of QoL domains to determine the impact of treatment (arm) and time on QoL scores. Results: Three hundred patients were enrolled, 150 in each arm. QoL data from 283 patients with at least one assessable questionnaire were analyzed. The pretreatment QoL scores were similar in both the arms in all domains. There was no significant difference in the global health status/QoL with respect to the treatment arm ( P =0.608) or time ( P=0.0544 ). There was no significant difference in the longitudinal QoL scores between the two treatment arms in all domains except the physical function ( P= .0074), constipation ( P= .0326), trouble with social contact ( P= .0321) and sexuality ( P= .0004). There was a decline in the QoL scores in all domains in both arms during treatment. After completion of treatment, the QoL scores started improving steadily up to 1 year and plateaued thereafter in both arms. Conclusions: The use of once-every-three weeks cisplatin significantly improved the locoregional control without adversely impacting the quality of life as compared to once-a-week cisplatin in combination with radical radiotherapy in locally advanced HNSCC. Clinical trial information: CTRI/2012/10/ 003062. .

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