BACKGROUND: To investigate the safety and activity of cetuximab in the pre-operative treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Cetuximab was administered for 2 weeks before surgery to 33 treatment-naïve patients selected for primary surgical treatment. Tumour biopsies, 2-[fluorine-18]-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose positron emission tomography ((18)FDG-PET) and imaging were carried out at baseline and before surgery. The primary aim of the study was safety and the secondary aims included metabolical, radiological and pathological tumour response. Five untreated patients were included as controls. RESULTS: Cetuximab given 24 h before surgery was safe. Ninety percent of patients had (18)FDG-PET partial response (EORTC guideline) in the cetuximab group versus 0% in the control group. Delta maximal standardized uptake values (ΔSUVmax) were correlated with tumour cellularity on the surgical specimens (P < 0.0001). For patients with ΔSUVmax less than -25% or less than -50%, Ki67 was significantly decreased by cetuximab (P = 0.01 and 0.003). Cetuximab induced down-regulation of pEGFR (P = 0.0004) and pERK (P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Short-course pre-operative administration of cetuximab is safe and shows a high rate of (18)FDG-PET response. (18)FDG-PET response was correlated with residual tumour cellularity suggesting that (18)FDG-PET deserves further investigation as a potential early marker of cetuximab activity in SCCHN.
BACKGROUND: To investigate the safety and activity of cetuximab in the pre-operative treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Cetuximab was administered for 2 weeks before surgery to 33 treatment-naïve patients selected for primary surgical treatment. Tumour biopsies, 2-[fluorine-18]-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose positron emission tomography ((18)FDG-PET) and imaging were carried out at baseline and before surgery. The primary aim of the study was safety and the secondary aims included metabolical, radiological and pathological tumour response. Five untreated patients were included as controls. RESULTS:Cetuximab given 24 h before surgery was safe. Ninety percent of patients had (18)FDG-PET partial response (EORTC guideline) in the cetuximab group versus 0% in the control group. Delta maximal standardized uptake values (ΔSUVmax) were correlated with tumour cellularity on the surgical specimens (P < 0.0001). For patients with ΔSUVmax less than -25% or less than -50%, Ki67 was significantly decreased by cetuximab (P = 0.01 and 0.003). Cetuximab induced down-regulation of pEGFR (P = 0.0004) and pERK (P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Short-course pre-operative administration of cetuximab is safe and shows a high rate of (18)FDG-PET response. (18)FDG-PET response was correlated with residual tumour cellularity suggesting that (18)FDG-PET deserves further investigation as a potential early marker of cetuximab activity in SCCHN.
Entities:
Keywords:
cetuximab; head and neck cancer; targeted therapy
Authors: Mercedes Porosnicu; Anderson O'Brien Cox; Joshua D Waltonen; Paul M Bunch; Ralph D'Agostino; Thomas W Lycan; Richard Taylor; Dan W Williams; Xiaofei Chen; Kirtikar Shukla; Brian E Kouri; Tiffany Walker; Gregory Kucera; Hafiz S Patwa; Christopher A Sullivan; J Dale Browne; Cristina M Furdui Journal: Front Oncol Date: 2022-08-30 Impact factor: 5.738
Authors: Douglas Adkins; Jessica Ley; Farrokh Dehdashti; Marilyn J Siegel; Tanya M Wildes; Loren Michel; Kathryn Trinkaus; Barry A Siegel Journal: Cancer Med Date: 2014-08-01 Impact factor: 4.452
Authors: Anne Katrin Berger; Stephan Lücke; Ulrich Abel; Georg Martin Haag; Carsten Grüllich; Annika Stange; Mareike Dietrich; Leonidas Apostolidis; Angelika Freitag; Claudia Trierweiler; Carl von Gall; Jennifer Ose; Frederik Giesel; Tim Frederik Weber; Florian Lordick; Uwe Haberkorn; Dirk Jäger Journal: Br J Cancer Date: 2018-07-02 Impact factor: 7.640