title: Safety and feasibility of every-other-week maintenance cetuximab after first-line chemotherapy in patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In patients with recurrent and/or metastatic head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC), there are no data about an every-other-week cetuximab maintenance schedule after chemotherapy plus cetuximab as first-line treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed the safety and feasibility of every-other-week maintenance cetuximab administered at 3 different European centers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-one patients with recurrent or metastatic HNSCC were treated from 2006 to 2010. Mean cetuximab dose intensity in the maintenance phase was 93%. The major toxicities reported during every-other-week maintenance cetuximab were skin rash (grade 3, 16%; grade 2, 23%), fatigue (grade 3, 3%; grade 2, 16%), diarrhea (grade 3, 7%; grade 2, 13%), hypomagnesemia (grade 4, 3%; grade 3, 3%; grade 2, 19%), and mucositis (grade 3, 3%; grade 2, 23%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Every-other-week maintenance cetuximab schedule was well tolerated and did not worsen toxicity that occurred during chemotherapy. In daily practice, this simplified schedule could improve compliance and possibly improve quality of life in patients with recurrent or metastatic HNSCC that showed no progression during first-line chemotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Head and Neck Medical Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bossi
authors.forename: Gabriela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kornek
authors.forename: Gaetano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lanzetta
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rozzi
authors.forename: Thorsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Füreder
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Locati
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Licitra
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D000068818:Cetuximab; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016208:Databases, Factual; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D060046:Maintenance Chemotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D020714:Maximum Tolerated Dose; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000473:pathology; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D061214:Patient Safety; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000068818:Cetuximab