ASCO 2019: Treatment Patterns in Advanced Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Posted: Monday, June 24, 2019
Based on reportedly the largest retrospective data set of patients with advanced squamous cell carcinoma treated with conventional chemotherapy, efficacy was low both in locally advanced and metastatic patient populations. More than 80 patients met the study inclusion criteria and represent the basis of these findings. C. Lance Cowey, MD, of Texas Oncology-Baylor Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center in Dallas, published the data on these treatment patterns in conjunction with the 2019 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting (online Abstract e21033).
“These data provide historic benchmarks for outcomes in advanced [cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma] patients prior to the [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] approval of cemiplimab-rwlc,” the investigators commented.
The study patients initiated first-line systemic treatment between January 2008 and December 2015. Data on these adult patients, who had either locally advanced (n = 17) or metastatic (n = 65) squamous cell carcinoma, were derived from The US Oncology Network’s iKnowMed electronic health record database and supplemented by chart review. Most of the patients (85%) were men, the majority (79%) were white, and 90% had prior surgery.
In the first-line setting, carboplatin plus paclitaxel was given to 27% of patients, and cetuximab monotherapy was given to 24% of patients. The median duration of first-line therapy was 2.4 months in the overall study population.
The overall physician-assessed response rate was 18.3%, with a more specific 17.6% for those with locally advanced disease and 18.5% for those with metastatic disease. Median overall survival from the start of first-line treatment was 15.3 months in the entire study population (16.2 months in those with locally advanced disease; 15.3 months in those with metastatic disease). As for additional therapy, 24 patients (29%) received second-line treatment.
Disclosure: The study authors’ disclosure information may be found at coi.asco.org.
