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. 2025 Jul 30:6:1632316.
doi: 10.3389/froh.2025.1632316. eCollection 2025.

Efficacy of oral metronomic chemotherapy in the management of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma-a systematic review

Aardra Binithadas Segin Chandran  1 , Deepak Pandiar  1 , Reshma Poothakulath Krishnan  1 , Divya Gopinath  2   3
Affiliations

Efficacy of oral metronomic chemotherapy in the management of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma-a systematic review

Aardra Binithadas Segin Chandran et al. Front Oral Health. .

Abstract

Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a group of heterogeneous malignancies and constitutes one of the most prevalent forms of cancer. Oral metronomic chemotherapy (OMCT) is a treatment in which low doses of anticancer drugs are given at regular intervals over a long time, with many advantages over conventional therapies, particularly in nations with high cancer burden. The present systematic review aimed to evaluate the efficacy of OMCT in the management of HNSCC in comparison to other standard chemotherapy regimens. Methodology: The review was registered in the Prospero database (CRD42023426000). An electronic search was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar databases. Articles in which OMCT was used to treat HNSCC were included for systematic review, and the survival and response rates were analyzed.

Results: Twenty-four eligible articles were included for evaluation, which revealed that administration of OMCT produced higher survival and response rates in subjects compared to standard chemotherapy.

Conclusion: The evidence from the included studies supports that oral metronomic chemotherapy is substantially more effective as compared to standard chemotherapy regimens in squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck.

Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD42023426000, identifier (CRD42023426000).

Keywords: OSCC (oral squamous cell carcinoma); angiogenesis; head and neck squamous cell carcinoma; oral metronomic chemotherapy; survival rate.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart showing the article selection process according to the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines; *deciphers reporting the number of records identified from each database or register searched (no records were found from other sources).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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