Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Dec 24;15(12):1468-1480.
doi: 10.5306/wjco.v15.i12.1468.

Paclitaxel for second-line treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck: A multicenter retrospective Italian study

Morena Fasano  1 , Mario Pirozzi  2 , Pasquale Vitale  3 , Vincenzo Damiano  4 , Graziana Ronzino  5 , Stefano Farese  2 , Vincenzo Carfora  6 , Giuseppina Ciccarelli  7 , Ilaria Di Giovanni  3 , Sergio Facchini  2 , Gregorio Cennamo  3 , Michele Caraglia  8   9 , Fortunato Ciardiello  2 , Raffaele Addeo  3
Affiliations

Paclitaxel for second-line treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck: A multicenter retrospective Italian study

Morena Fasano et al. World J Clin Oncol. .

Abstract

Background: Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) accounts for 3% of all malignant tumors in Italy. Immune checkpoint inhibitors combined with chemotherapy is first-line treatment for SCCHN; however, second-line treatment options are limited. Taxanes are widely used for combination therapy of SCCHN, as clinical trials have shown their efficacy in patients with this disease, particularly in patients with prior therapy.

Aim: To perform a multicenter retrospective study on the efficacy and safety of weekly paclitaxel for SCCHN.

Methods: All patients were previously treated with at least one systemic therapy regimen, which included platinum-based therapy in the vast majority. No patient received prior immunotherapy.

Results: Median progression-free survival (mPFS) was 3.4 months and median overall survival (mOS) was 6.5 months. Subgroup analysis was performed according to three principal prognostic factors: Smoking, alcohol consumption, and body mass index. Analysis demonstrated reduced survival, both mOS and mPFS, in the unfavorable prognostic groups, with the biggest deltas observed in mOS.

Conclusion: Weekly paclitaxel provided favorable survival and disease control rates, with low severe adverse events. Paclitaxel is a safe and valid therapeutic option for patients with SCCHN who received prior therapy.

Keywords: Alcohol; Body mass index; Head and neck cancer; Immunotherapy; Smoking; Taxanes.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Median survival rates in the selected population. A: Progression-free survival; B: Overall survival.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Median overall survival rates according to stratification factors. A: Median overall survival (OS) in the smoking subgroup; B: Median OS in the alcohol consumption subgroup; C: Median OS in the body mass index subgroup. OS: Overall survival; BMI: Body mass index.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Median progression-free survival rates according to stratification parameters. A: Median progression-free survival (PFS) in the smoking group; B: Median PFS in the alcohol consumption subgroup; C: Median PFS in the body mass index subgroup. PFS: Progression-free survival; BMI: Body mass index.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Machiels JP, René Leemans C, Golusinski W, Grau C, Licitra L, Gregoire V EHNS Executive Board; ESMO Guidelines Committee; ESTRO Executive Board. Squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, larynx, oropharynx and hypopharynx: EHNS-ESMO-ESTRO Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Ann Oncol. 2020;31:1462–1475. - PubMed
    1. Toporcov TN, Znaor A, Zhang ZF, Yu GP, Winn DM, Wei Q, Vilensky M, Vaughan T, Thomson P, Talamini R, Szeszenia-Dabrowska N, Sturgis EM, Smith E, Shangina O, Schwartz SM, Schantz S, Rudnai P, Richiardi L, Ramroth H, Purdue MP, Olshan AF, Eluf-Neto J, Muscat J, Moyses RA, Morgenstern H, Menezes A, McClean M, Matsuo K, Mates D, Macfarlane TV, Lissowska J, Levi F, Lazarus P, La Vecchia C, Lagiou P, Koifman S, Kjaerheim K, Kelsey K, Holcatova I, Herrero R, Healy C, Hayes RB, Franceschi S, Fernandez L, Fabianova E, Daudt AW, Curioni OA, Maso LD, Curado MP, Conway DI, Chen C, Castellsague X, Canova C, Cadoni G, Brennan P, Boccia S, Antunes JL, Ahrens W, Agudo A, Boffetta P, Hashibe M, Lee YC, Filho VW. Risk factors for head and neck cancer in young adults: a pooled analysis in the INHANCE consortium. Int J Epidemiol. 2015;44:169–185. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Burtness B, Rischin D, Greil R, Soulières D, Tahara M, de Castro G Jr, Psyrri A, Brana I, Basté N, Neupane P, Bratland Å, Fuereder T, Hughes BGM, Mesia R, Ngamphaiboon N, Rordorf T, Wan Ishak WZ, Ge J, Swaby RF, Gumuscu B, Harrington K. Pembrolizumab Alone or With Chemotherapy for Recurrent/Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma in KEYNOTE-048: Subgroup Analysis by Programmed Death Ligand-1 Combined Positive Score. J Clin Oncol. 2022;40:2321–2332. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Burtness B, Harrington KJ, Greil R, Soulières D, Tahara M, de Castro G Jr, Psyrri A, Basté N, Neupane P, Bratland Å, Fuereder T, Hughes BGM, Mesía R, Ngamphaiboon N, Rordorf T, Wan Ishak WZ, Hong RL, González Mendoza R, Roy A, Zhang Y, Gumuscu B, Cheng JD, Jin F, Rischin D KEYNOTE-048 Investigators. Pembrolizumab alone or with chemotherapy versus cetuximab with chemotherapy for recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (KEYNOTE-048): a randomised, open-label, phase 3 study. Lancet. 2019;394:1915–1928. - PubMed
    1. Ferris RL, Blumenschein G Jr, Fayette J, Guigay J, Colevas AD, Licitra L, Harrington K, Kasper S, Vokes EE, Even C, Worden F, Saba NF, Iglesias Docampo LC, Haddad R, Rordorf T, Kiyota N, Tahara M, Monga M, Lynch M, Geese WJ, Kopit J, Shaw JW, Gillison ML. Nivolumab for Recurrent Squamous-Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck. N Engl J Med. 2016;375:1856–1867. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources