Induction chemotherapy with paclitaxel, ifosfamide, and cisplatin followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy for unresectable locally advanced head and neck cancer

ERCC1 C8092A polymorphism predicts fair survival outcome in Japanese patients with pharyngo-laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma

PURPOSE

To evaluate the prognostic significance of DNA excision repair gene polymorphisms, excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1) and X-ray repair complementing defective repair in Chinese hamster cells 1 (XRCC1) polymorphisms were investigated in Japanese patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

METHODS

A total of 225 consecutive patients with HNSCC who underwent surgery or chemoradiotherapy/radiotherapy (CRT/RT) with curative intent as primary treatment from 2006 to 2017 were recruited. ERCC1 C8092A and XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphisms in DNA extracted from individual blood samples were determined by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. Cumulative survival was estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis with a log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards model stratified by treatment arm, adjusting for clinical prognostic factors.

RESULTS

Multivariate analysis showed that carriers with the ERCC1 8092 (C/A+A/A) genotype (hazard ratio, 3.56; 95% confidence interval, 1.22-7.39; p = 0.02) had significantly worse survival than those with ERCC1 8092 C/C who received CRT/RT. Conversely, the XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism did not influence survival in patients who received CRT/RT as well as surgery.

CONCLUSION

The ERCC1 C8092A polymorphism might be an independent predictor of response to CRT and survival outcome in patients with HNSCC. This is the first report to investigate the role of DNA excision repair gene polymorphisms in patients with head and neck cancer in a Japanese population.

Survival Outcomes for Induction vs Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Maxillary Sinus

OBJECTIVE

In advanced maxillary sinus cancers treated with surgery and radiotherapy, poor local control rates and the potential for organ preservation have prompted interest in the use of systemic therapy. Our objective was to present outcomes for induction compared to adjuvant chemotherapy in the maxillary sinus.

STUDY DESIGN

Secondary database analysis.

SETTING

National Cancer Database (NCDB).

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

In total, 218 cases of squamous cell maxillary sinus cancer treated with surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy between 2004 and 2012 were identified from the NCDB and stratified into induction chemotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy cohorts. Univariate Kaplan-Meier analyses were compared by log-rank test, and multivariate Cox regression was performed to evaluate overall survival when adjusting for other prognostic factors. Propensity score matching was also used for further comparison.

RESULTS

Twenty-three patients received induction chemotherapy (10.6%) and 195 adjuvant chemotherapy (89.4%). The log-rank test comparing induction to adjuvant chemotherapy was not significant ( P = .076). In multivariate Cox regression when adjusting for age, sex, race, comorbidity, grade, insurance, and T/N stage, there was a significant mortality hazard ratio of 2.305 for adjuvant relative to induction chemotherapy (confidence interval, 1.076-4.937; P = .032).

CONCLUSION

Induction chemotherapy was associated with improved overall survival in comparison to adjuvant chemotherapy in a relatively small cohort of patients (in whom treatment choice cannot be characterized), suggesting that this question warrants further investigation in a controlled clinical trial before any recommendations are made.

Efficacy and safety of a cisplatin and paclitaxel induction regimen followed by chemoradiotherapy for patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this phase II trial was to evaluate the tolerability, safety, and efficacy of a non-5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based induction chemotherapy followed by chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

METHODS

Sixty patients with stage III to IV HNSCC were treated with induction paclitaxel and cisplatin (TP; paclitaxel 175 mg/m(2) and cisplatin 80 mg/m(2) , 3 cycles) followed by CRT (cisplatin 100 mg/m(2) ; D1, 22, and 43 of radiotherapy).

RESULTS

Fifty-six patients (93.3%) completed 3 cycles of induction TP (no treatment-related deaths), 52 (86.7%) completed definitive CRT per protocol (adverse event [AE] grade ≥2 in 53.3%). The overall response rate after induction TP was 82.5% for patients with resectable disease and 55.5% for unresectable disease (p = .023), and complete response (CR) rate after CRT was 70.0% for patients with resectable disease and 30.0% for unresectable disease (p = .005).

CONCLUSION

Induction TP followed by cisplatin based-CRT was well-tolerated, safe, and had high overall response rate in selected patients with locally advanced HNSCC. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: E970-E980, 2016.

Uptake carriers and oncology drug safety

Members of the solute carrier (SLC) family of transporters are responsible for the cellular influx of a broad range of endogenous compounds and xenobiotics in multiple tissues. Many of these transporters are highly expressed in the gastrointestinal tract, liver, and kidney and are considered to be of particular importance in governing drug absorption, elimination, and cellular sensitivity of specific organs to a wide variety of oncology drugs. Although the majority of studies on the interaction of oncology drugs with SLC have been restricted to the use of exploratory in vitro model systems, emerging evidence suggests that several SLCs, including OCT2 and OATP1B1, contribute to clinically important phenotypes associated with those agents. Recent literature has indicated that modulation of SLC activity may result in drug-drug interactions, and genetic polymorphisms in SLC genes have been described that can affect the handling of substrates. Alteration of SLC function by either of these mechanisms has been demonstrated to contribute to interindividual variability in the pharmacokinetics and toxicity associated with several oncology drugs. In this report, we provide an update on this rapidly emerging field.

Gemcitabine-based induction chemotherapy and concurrent with radiation in advanced head and neck cancer

To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of gemcitabine-based induction chemotherapy followed by concurrent gemcitabine and radiotherapy in advanced squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck. A total of 28 patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck were enrolled. All patients were treated with 2 cycles of induction gemcitabine 1 gm/m(2) on days 1 and 8 plus cisplatin 75 mg/m(2)no day 1 of a 3-week cycles followed by conventionally fractionated radiotherapy to 70 Gy in 35 fractions concurrent with weekly gemcitabine 100 mg/m(2) within 2 h before radiotherapy. Median age was 56.5 years (range, 30-68). Four patients (14.3 %) achieved complete response (CR) and 19 patients (67.9 %) had partial response (PR) after induction chemotherapy. After concurrent chemo-radiotherapy, we reported 17 (60.7 %) CR and 8 (28.6 %) PR. Median loco-regional recurrence-free survival, progression-free survival, and overall survival were 17, 12.5, and 21 months, respectively. Performance status, T stage, AJCC stage, and response to chemo-radiation were found to have significant impact on survival. Acute grade 3 toxicity of concurrent chemo-radiation included 35.7 % dysphagia, 25 % stomatitis, and 10.7 % neutropenia, whereas late grade 3 toxicity included xerostomia in 7.1 % and stomatitis in 3.6 % of patients. Gemcitabine-based induction and concurrent chemo-radiotherapy is effective treatment for locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck with acceptable and manageable toxicity. Optimizing dose and schedule of gemcitabine-based chemo-radiation is still needed.

Contribution of tumoral and host solute carriers to clinical drug response

Members of the solute carrier family of transporters are responsible for the cellular uptake of a broad range of endogenous compounds and xenobiotics in multiple tissues. Several of these solute carriers are known to be expressed in cancer cells or cancer cell lines, and decreased cellular uptake of drugs potentially contributes to the development of resistance. As result, the expression levels of these proteins in humans have important consequences for an individual's susceptibility to certain drug-induced side effects, interactions, and treatment efficacy. In this review article, we provide an update of this rapidly emerging field, with specific emphasis on the direct contribution of solute carriers to anticancer drug uptake in tumors, the role of these carriers in regulation of anticancer drug disposition, and recent advances in attempts to evaluate these proteins as therapeutic targets.