Open AccessSafety and efficacy of cetuximab-containing chemotherapy after immune checkpoint inhibitors for patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck: a single-center retrospective study
Author(s) -
Tom Kurosaki,
Seiichiro Mitani,
Kaoru Tanaka,
Shinichiro Suzuki,
Hiroaki Kanemura,
Koji Haratani,
Soichi Fumita,
Tsutomu Iwasa,
Hidetoshi Hayashi,
Takeshi Yoshida,
Kazuki Ishikawa,
Mitsuhide Kitano,
Naoki Otsuki,
Yasumasa Nishimura,
Kunio Doi,
Kazuhiko Nakagawa
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
anti-cancer drugs
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.651
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1473-5741
pISSN - 0959-4973
DOI - 10.1097/cad.0000000000001006
Subject(s) - cetuximab , medicine , oncology , carboplatin , chemotherapy , immunotherapy , response evaluation criteria in solid tumors , cancer , progressive disease , colorectal cancer , cisplatin
Immunotherapy has been shown to prolong survival in recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) in front-line use; however, subsequent systemic therapy has not been optimized. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of cetuximab-containing chemotherapy after immunotherapy. We retrospectively analyzed patients with recurrent or metastatic SCCHN who underwent cetuximab-containing regimens after progression on immunotherapy. Of the 22 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 21 received paclitaxel and cetuximab, and 1 carboplatin and fluorouracil and cetuximab after immunotherapy. Nine patients achieved a partial response, 10 patients had stable disease as their best response on cetuximab-containing chemotherapy, yielding an overall response rate and disease control rate of 40.9 and 86.4%, respectively. The median progression-free survival was 5.2 months, and the median overall survival was 14.5 months. Ten patients developed grade 3-4 adverse events, including neutropenia (31.8%), acneiform rash (9.1%), anemia (4.5%), hypertransaminasemia (4.5%) and stomatitis (4.5%). The most frequent cetuximab-related toxicities across all grades were skin reactions (77.3%), hypomagnesemia (40.9%), stomatitis (27.3%), paronychia (13.6%) and keratitis (4.5%). There was no treatment-related death. Taken together, cetuximab-containing chemotherapy was effective and feasible even after immunotherapy.