Cisplatin, Docetaxel and Cetuximab (TPEx) as First-line Treatment for Patients With Recurrent or Metastatic Head and Neck Cancer: A Multicenter Real-World Study

Abstract

BACKGROUNDThe association of platinum, taxanes, and cetuximab has proven to be an effective and safe strategy for head and neck cancer treatment. Here we present a multi-institutional real-world experience of the TPEx schema as first-line therapy in advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN).METHODS This retrospective multicenter cohort study included patients with histologically confirmed recurrent or metastatic SCCHN treated with first-line TPEx regimen at five medical centers in Argentina between January 1, 2017, and April 31, 2020. Chemotherapy consisted of four cycles of docetaxel, cisplatin, and cetuximab, followed by cetuximab maintenance. Clinical outcomes and toxicity profiles were evaluated. RESULTSTwenty-four patients were included. Median age at diagnosis was 58 years (range 36-77). The majority of patients (83.3%) received at least four chemotherapy cycles in the initial part. In the included group, overall response rate was 62.5%, and three patients achieved a complete response (12.5%). The median time to response was 2.4 months (95% CI 1.3-3.5). With a median follow-up of 12.7 months (95% CI 8.8-16.6), the median progression-free survival was 6.9 months (95% CI: 6.5-7.3), and the overall survival rate at 12 months was 82.4%. Two-thirds of patients reported at least one treatment-related adverse event, and 25% presented grade 3-4 toxicities.CONCLUSIONSTPEx was an adequately tolerated regimen in our population. Median progression-free survival and overall response rates were consistent with recent reports in clinical trials evaluating this treatment combination.