Squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue in two patients previously exposed to long-term pegylated liposomal doxorubicin

A case of tongue cancer manifesting from oral leukoplakia after long-term administration of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin

We present a case of tongue cancer manifestation from oral leukoplakia after administration of pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD). A 56-year-old woman was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. After preoperative chemotherapy with paclitaxel and carboplatin (TC), she underwent interval debulking surgery. Five cycles of TC therapy were carried out as adjuvant chemotherapy; however, recurrence was observed. Despite administration of gemcitabine-carboplatin therapy, the patient's condition was judged as advancing to a progressive disease. PLD treatment was completed at a total dose of 1140 mg/m². Two months after the end of treatment, the patient was diagnosed with leukoplakia. The leukoplakia lesion became thicker at each 3-month follow-up. She was diagnosed with tongue cancer and underwent a partial resection 2 years and 3 months after the completion of PLD treatment. Our report suggests that the risk of malignant transformation to tongue cancer persists even after the completion of treatment with PLD.

Incidence of squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck following prolonged pegylated liposomal doxorubicin

Despite numerous case reports, the incidence of a secondary diagnosis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNC) following pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) treatment is unknown. Computerized pharmacy records were searched at a large, multi-center healthcare system for patients who received PLD. Electronic medical records were searched to identify the patient's age at treatment initiation of PLD, diagnosis for which they were treated with PLD, number of courses and total cumulative dose of PLD (TCDPLD) and secondary malignancies. Published PLD associated HNC was utilized to determine the lowest and median TCDPLD doses associated with HNC. One thousand two hundred ninety eligible patients who had been treated with PLD were identified. The lowest TCDPLD associated HNC in the literature is 405 mg/m2. In our healthcare system, 275 patients received more than 400 mg/m2 yielding a risk of 0.004%. One hundred fifty-one patients received the lowest TCDPLD associated with HNC cancer in our series which was 640 mg/m2 yielding a risk of 0.007%. Four of 30 patients (13.3%) developed HNC who received the median TCDPLD associated with HNC in the literature of 1440 mg/m2. Five of 20 patients (25%) receiving 1650 mg/m2 developed HNC in our healthcare system. Prolonged therapy with PLD is associated with an increased risk of HNC. This risk appears to be related to the cumulative dose varying from 0.004 to 13.3% at the lowest and median TCDPLD of reported cases in the literature, respectively. Oncologists need to be aware of this risk and to screen patients appropriately.

Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma as a Complication of Treatment for Recurrent High-Grade Serous Cancer

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS

Advances in cancer treatment have increased survival for many patients, prompting a need for greater recognition of the long-term complications of treatment. Chemotherapy agents have the potential to induce carcinogenesis and can increase the risk of secondary malignancy. Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) used for maintenance treatment of recurrent high-grade serous cancers has been associated with the development of oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective review.

METHODS

Cases of oral cavity SCC in patients with recurrent high-grade serous cancer treated with PLD between 1997 and 2017 at a single institution were reviewed.

RESULTS

Eight of 16 patients treated with PLD developed oral cavity SCC. The duration of PLD use ranged from 1.3 to 15 years (mean = 5.8 years) and cumulative dose ranged from 405 to 3,000 mg/m² (mean = 1,542 mg/m² ). Seven patients tested positive for BRCA mutations (four BRCA 1+, three BRCA 2+). No patients had a history of alcohol or tobacco use. All had early-stage oral cavity disease; five were T1N0, two were T2N0, and one had carcinoma in situ. All patients underwent surgery, and two received adjuvant radiation. Four developed locoregional recurrence requiring additional treatment. Of these, one patient died from complications of oral SCC, one developed recurrent ovarian cancer, and two had no evidence of disease of the oral cavity or ovarian cancer at the last follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Long-term PLD therapy may be associated with the development of oral cavity SCC. A high index of suspicion and routine head and neck examination should be included in follow-up for exposed patients.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

4 Laryngoscope, 130:2607-2610, 2020.

Oral leukoplakia, a precancerous lesion of squamous cell carcinoma, in patients with long-term pegylated liposomal doxorubicin treatment

Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) has a good safety profile, but long-term use has been associated with development of squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue and oral cavity (SCCTO) in some patients. The study objective was to estimate the prevalence of oral leukoplakia, a known precursor of SCCTO, in patients with ovarian cancer and long-term PLD use.After approval of the institutional review board, medical record of 114 patients who were treated with PLD at our institution between January 2010 and December 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. All those patients have been referred for routine monitoring of oral mucositis every time before administration by a dentist. The patient characteristics included in the evaluation were age, smoking and drinking habits, the PLD dose and schedule, and presence or absence of oral leukoplakia and SCCTO at each oral examination. The relationships of the incidence of oral leukoplakia and patient characteristics were analyzed.The median total PLD dose was 160 (range 40-1550) mg/m. Oral leukoplakia was seen in 6 (5.3%) patients. The median PLD dose, at the time of oral leukoplakia diagnosis, was 685 (range 400-800) mg/m. SCCTO was not found. Univariate analysis revealed that age, Brinkman index, and habitual drinking were not considered as risk factors for oral leukoplakia, and only total PLD dose (OR, 1.470; 95% CI, 1.19-1.91; P < .001) remained as a significant independent risk factor for oral leukoplakia. The ROC curve analysis indicated that the optimal cutoff value of the total PLD dose to predict development of oral leukoplakia was 400 mg/m. The sensitivity was 100% and the specificity was 88.8%. No patient discontinued PLD because of oral leukoplakia or SCCTO.The 2 most important clinical observations were the occurrence of oral leukoplakia in patients with long-term PLD use and that the development of oral leukoplakia was related to a total cumulative dose ≥400 mg/m. Routine oral surveillance is recommended, particularly when the cumulative total dose exceeds 400 mg/m.

Emerging delivery systems to reduce doxorubicin cardiotoxicity and improve therapeutic index: focus on liposomes

Anthracyclines are powerful anticancer agents and among the most important tools in the chemotherapy armamentarium of medical oncologists. They are approved for use in the treatment of a broad variety of solid and hematologic neoplasms. However, the usefulness of these agents, particularly doxorubicin, the most widely used anthracycline, is limited by considerable toxicity, especially damage to the cardiac muscle, which is cumulative and mostly irreversible, restricting extended use of this drug. In the last 30 years, extensive research with a variety of drug-delivery systems has attempted to overcome this limitation, with clinical success mostly confined to liposome formulations. Liposomal doxorubicin, and particularly pegylated liposomal doxorubicin, has shown significant pharmacologic advantages and an added clinical value over doxorubicin. Here, we review the mechanisms of action and toxicity of doxorubicin, and ways to reduce toxicity, with a focus on liposome-based drug-delivery systems.