BACKGROUND:Because the addition of nimotuzumab to chemoradiation in patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer improved outcomes in a phase 2 study, the authors conducted a phase 3 study to confirm these findings. METHODS: This openlabel, investigator-initiated, phase 3, randomized trial was conducted from 2012 to 2018. Adult patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer who were fit for radical chemoradiation were randomized 1:1 to receive either radical radiotherapy (66-70 grays) with concurrent weekly cisplatin (30 mg/m 2 ) (CRT) or the same schedule of CRT with weekly nimotuzumab (200 mg) (NCRT). The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS); key secondary endpoints were disease-free survival (DFS), duration of locoregional control (LRC), and overall survival (OS). An intent-to-treat analysis also was performed. RESULTS: In total, 536 patients were allocated equally to both treatment arms. The median follow-up was 39.13 months. The addition of nimotuzumab improved PFS (hazard ratio [HR], 0.69; 95% CI, 0.53-0.89; P = .004), LRC (HR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.50-0.89; P = .006), and DFS (HR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.55-0.92; P = .008) and had a trend toward improved OS (HR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.65-1.08; P = .163). Grade 3 through 5 adverse events were similar between the 2 arms, except for a higher incidence of mucositis in the NCRT arm (66.7% vs 55.8%; P = .01). CONCLUSIONS: The addition of nimotuzumab to concurrent weekly CRT improves PFS, LRC, and DFS. This combination provides a novel alternative therapeutic option to a 3-weekly schedule of 100 mg/m 2 cisplatin in patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer who are treated with radical-intent CRT. Cancer 2019;125:3184-3197.

Background Regimens for palliation in patients with head and neck cancer recommended by the US National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) have low applicability (less than 1-3%) in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) because of their cost. In a previous phase 2 study, patients with head and neck cancer who received metronomic chemotherapy had better outcomes when compared with those who received intravenous cisplatin, which is commonly used as the standard of care in LMICs. We aimed to do a phase 3 study to substantiate these findings. MethodsWe did an open-label, parallel-group, non-inferiority, randomised, phase 3 trial at the Department of Medical Oncology, Tata Memorial Center, Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai, India. We enrolled adult patients (aged 18-70 years) who planned to receive palliative systemic treatment for relapsed, recurrent, or newly diagnosed squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, and who had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status score of 0-1 and measurable disease, as defined by the Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors. We randomly assigned (1:1) participants to receive either oral metronomic chemotherapy, consisting of 15 mg/m² methotrexate once per week plus 200 mg celecoxib twice per day until disease progression or until the development of intolerable side-effects, or 75 mg/m² intravenous cisplatin once every 3 weeks for six cycles. Randomisation was done by use of a computer-generated randomisation sequence, with a block size of four, and patients were stratified by primary tumour site and previous cancer-directed treatment. The primary endpoint was median overall survival. Assuming that 6-month overall survival in the intravenous cisplatin group would be 40%, a non-inferiority margin of 13% was defined. Both intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses were done. All patients who completed at least one cycle of the assigned treatment were included in the safety analysis. This trial is registered with the Clinical Trials Registry-India, CTRI/2015/11/006388, and is completed. Findings Between May 16, 2016, and Jan 17, 2020, 422 patients were randomly assigned: 213 to the oral metronomic chemotherapy group and 209 to the intravenous cisplatin group. All 422 patients were included in the intention-totreat analysis, and 418 patients (211 in the oral metronomic chemotherapy group and 207 in the intravenous cisplatin group) were included in the per-protocol analysis. At a median follow-up of 15•73 months, median overall survival in the intention-to-treat analysis population was 7•5 months (IQR 4•6-12•6) in the oral metronomic chemotherapy group compared with 6•1 months (3•2-9•6) in the intravenous cisplatin group (unadjusted HR for death 0•773 [95% CI 0•615-0•97, p=0•026]). In the per-protocol analysis population, median overall survival was 7•5 months (4•7-12•8) in the oral metronomic chemotherapy group and 6•1 months (3•4-9•6) in the intravenous cisplatin group (unadjusted HR for death 0•775 [95% CI 0•616-0•974, p=0•029]). Grade 3 or highe...

BackgroundRelapsed high‐grade glioma has dismal outcomes. Mebendazole has shown promising activity against glioma in in‐vitro and in‐vivo studies. Hence, we undertook a phase 1 study to repurpose mebendazole in the treatment of glioblastoma.MethodsWe conducted a phase 1 study (accelerated titrated design 4) of mebendazole in patients with recurrent glioblastoma (GBM). Patients eligible for re‐irradiation were enrolled in arm A1 (radiation with concurrent temozolomide 75 mg/m2 daily during the course of radiation+mebendazole) while patients who were ineligible were enrolled in either arm B1 (CCNU 110 mg/m2 day 1, every 6 weekly + mebendazole) or arm C1 (temozolomide 200 mg/m2 day 1‐5, every 4 weekly + mebendazole). The primary endpoint of phase 1 was to identify the MTD of mebendazole in each combination.Findings11 patients were enrolled in the whole study. MTD of mebendazole was not reached in arm A1 and C1 and hence the recommended dose for phase 2 was 1600 mg TDS (4800 mg) per day. The MTD of mebendazole in combination with CCNU was 1600 mg TDS (4800 mg) per day and the dose recommended for phase 2 was 800 mg TDS (2400 mg) per day. The three most common adverse events seen in the study were anemia (n = 9, 81.8%), nausea (n = 7, 63.6%), and fatigue (n = 6, 55.5%).InterpretationThe recommended phase 2 dose of mebendazole is 1600 mg TDS with temozolomide and temozolomide‐radiation combination while the dose of 800 mg TDS needs to be used with single‐agent CCNU.

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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. .