Chemoradiotherapy with high-dose cisplatin (HD-Cis: 100 mg/m ² q3w for three cycles) is the standard of care (SOC) in locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (LA-HNSCC). Cumulative delivered dose of cisplatin is prognostic of survival, even beyond 200 mg/m ² but high toxicity compromises its delivery.
Cisplatin fractionation may allow, by decreasing the peak serum concentration, to decrease toxicity. To date, no direct comparison was done of HD-Cis versus fractionated high dose cisplatin (FHD-Cis).
This is a multi-institutional randomized phase II trial, stratified on postoperative or definitive chemoradiotherapy, comparing HD-Cis to FHD-Cis (25 mg/m ² /d d1-4 q3w for 3 cycles) in patients with LA-HNSCC. The primary endpoint was the cumulative delivered cisplatin dose.
Between December 2015 and April 2018, 124 patients were randomized. Median cisplatin cumulative delivered dose was 291 mg/m ² (IQR: 251;298) in the FHD-Cis arm and 274 mg/m ² (IQR: 198;295) in the HD-Cis arm (P = 0.054). The proportion of patients receiving a third cycle of cisplatin was higher, with a lower proportion of grade 3-4 acute AEs in the FHD-Cis arm compared to the HD-Cis arm: 81 % vs. 64 % (P = 0.04) and 10 % vs. 17 % (P = 0.002), respectively. With a median follow-up of 48 months (IQR: 41;55), locoregional failure rate, PFS and OS were similar between the two arms.
Although the primary endpoint was not met, FHD-Cis allowed more cycles of cisplatin to be delivered with lower toxicity, when compared to SOC. FHD-Cis concurrently with RT is a treatment option which deserves further consideration.