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Toxicity of concurrent chemoradiotherapy with cetuximab for locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma

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Abstract

Overexpression of the epidermal growth factor receptor can be found in 80 % of patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and is associated with shorter survival. In this work, we evaluated the feasibility of adding cetuximab to concurrent cisplatin and radiotherapy (RT) in locoregionally advanced NPC. Twenty-eight patients with locoregionally advanced NPC who received the combination therapy were retrospectively reviewed and short-term efficacy was evaluated. Grade 3–4 oral mucositis occurred in 20 (71.4 %) patients. Grade 3 radiotherapy-related dermatitis occurred in seven patients (25 %). Three patients (14.3 %) had grade 3 and one patient (3.6 %) had grade 4 cetuximab-related acneiform rashes. These grade 3–4 skin and mucosal toxic effects were manageable and reversible. At a median follow-up of 33.4 months (95 % CI 29.2–38.1 months), the 2-year progression-free survival was 89.3 % (95 % CI 76.4–98.1 %). In conclusion, concurrent administration of cetuximab, cisplatin and RT is a feasible strategy against locoregionally advanced NPC. Preliminary survival data compare favorably with historic data and further follow-up is warranted.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiation Oncology, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China

    Hui-Xia Feng, Su-Ping Guo, Gui-Rong Li, Wen-Huan Zhong, Liu Chen & Li-Ru Huang

  2. State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China

    Hui-Xia Feng, Su-Ping Guo, Gui-Rong Li, Wen-Huan Zhong, Liu Chen, Li-Ru Huang & Hui-Ying Qin

  3. Department of Nursing, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, No. 651, Dongfeng Road East, Guangzhou, 510060, China

    Hui-Ying Qin

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  1. Hui-Xia Feng
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  2. Su-Ping Guo
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  3. Gui-Rong Li
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  4. Wen-Huan Zhong
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Correspondence to Hui-Ying Qin.

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Hui-Xia Feng and Su-Ping Guo have contributed equally to this paper.

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Feng, HX., Guo, SP., Li, GR. et al. Toxicity of concurrent chemoradiotherapy with cetuximab for locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Med Oncol 31, 170 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12032-014-0170-x

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