ESMO 2018: Cetuximab in Unresectable Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Posted: Monday, November 5, 2018
A treatment of cetuximab for patients with squamous cell carcinoma seems to be safe and effective, even for the elderly, according to real-life analysis results presented by Frédéric Peyrade, MD, of the Antoine-Lacassagne Center, Nice, France, and colleagues at the 2018 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress (Abstract 1293P) in Munich. The researchers suggest cetuximab may prove to be a useful option for testing new combinations.
The researchers enrolled 60 patients with relapsing unresectable or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma. They were treated with cetuximab monotherapy in weekly loading doses of 400 and 250 mg/m2. The median age of patients was 83, and two-thirds of the patients had 1 or 2 comorbidities, with 13% having an immune disorder.
The investigators reported complete response, partial response, stabilization, and disease progression rates of 7%, 48%, 32%, and 13%, respectively, at 6 weeks and 2%, 42%, 29%, and 27% at 3 months. The best overall response, or disease stabilization, was experienced by 90% of patients. Cetuximab treatment was stopped for one patient after the first injection led to grade 3 infusion-related toxicity. The remaining grade 3 toxicities were cutaneous. No toxic deaths were reported. The median follow-up, progression-free survival, and overall survival were 11.7 months, 9.7 months, and 17.5 months respectively.
