Epidermal growth factor receptor targeted therapy in stages III and IV head and neck cancer.

QUESTION: What are the benefits associated with the use of anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (anti-EGFR) therapies in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC)? Anti-EGFR therapies of interest included cetuximab, gefitinib, lapatinib, zalutumumab, erlotinib, and panitumumab. PERSPECTIVES: Head-and-neck cancer includes malignant tumours arising from a variety of sites in the upper aerodigestive tract. The most common histologic type is squamous cell carcinoma, and most common sites are the oral cavity, the oropharynx, the hypopharynx, and the larynx. Worldwide, HNSCC is the sixth most common neoplasm, and despite advances in therapy, long-term survival in HNSCC patients is poor. Primary surgery followed by chemoradiation, or primary chemoradiation, are the standard treatment options for patients with locally advanced (stages III-IVB) HNSCC; however, meta-analytic data indicate that the benefit of concurrent platinum-based chemotherapy disappears in patients over the age of 70 years. Cetuximab is a monoclonal antibody approved for use in combination with radiation in the treatment of patients with untreated locally advanced HNSCC and as monotherapy for patients with recurrent or metastatic (stage IVC) HNSCC who have progressed on platinum-based therapy. Given the interest in anti-EGFR agents in advanced HNSCC, the Head and Neck Cancer Disease Site Group (DSG) of Cancer Care Ontario's Program in Evidence-Based Care (PEBC) chose to systematically review the literature pertaining to this topic so as to develop evidence-based recommendations for treatment. OUTCOMES: Outcomes of interest included overall and progression-free survival, quality of life, tumour response rate and duration, and the toxicity associated with the use of anti-EGFR therapies. METHODOLOGY: The medline, embase, and Cochrane Library databases, the American Society of Clinical Oncology online conference proceedings, the Canadian Medical Association InfoBase, and the National Guidelines Clearinghouse were systematically searched to locate primary articles and practice guidelines. The reference lists from relevant review articles were searched for additional trials. All evidence was reviewed, and that evidence informed the development of the clinical practice guideline. The resulting recommendations were approved by the Report Approval Panel of the PEBC, and by the Head and Neck Cancer DSG. An external review by Ontario practitioners completed the final phase of the review process. Feedback from all parties was incorporated to create the final practice guideline. RESULTS: The electronic search identified seventy-four references that were reviewed for inclusion. Only four phase iii trials met the inclusion criteria for the present guideline. No practice guidelines, systematic reviews, or meta-analyses were found during the course of the literature search. The randomized controlled trials (RCTS) involved three distinct patient populations: those with locally advanced HNSCC being treated for cure, those with incurable advanced recurrent or metastatic HNSCC being treated with first-line platinum-based chemotherapy, and those with incurable advanced recurrent or metastatic HNSCC who had disease progression despite, or who were unsuitable for, first-line platinum-based chemotherapy. PRACTICE GUIDELINE: These recommendations apply to adult patients with locally advanced (nonmetastatic stages iii-ivb) or recurrent or metastatic (stage IVC) HNSCC. Platinum-based chemoradiation remains the current standard of care for treatment of locally advanced HNSCC. In patients with locally advanced HNSCC who are medically unsuitable for concurrent platinum based chemotherapy or who are over the age of 70 years (because concurrent chemotherapy does not appear to improve overall survival in this patient population), the addition of cetuximab to radical radiotherapy should be considered to improve overall survival, progression-free survival, and time to local recurrence.Cetuximab in combination with platinum-based combination chemotherapy is superior to chemotherapy alone in patients with recurrent or metastatic HNSCC, and is recommended to improve overall survival, progression-free survival, and response rate.The role of anti-EGFR therapies in the treatment of locally advanced HNSCC is currently under study in large randomized trials, and patients with HNSCC should continue to be offered clinical trials of novel agents aimed at improving outcomes. QUALIFYING STATEMENTS: Chemoradiation is the current standard of care for patients with locally advanced HNSCC, and to date, there is no evidence that compares cetuximab plus radiotherapy with chemoradiation, or that examines whether the addition of cetuximab to chemoradiation is of benefit in these patients. However, five ongoing trials are investigating the effect of the addition of EGFR inhibitors concurrently with, before, or after chemoradiotherapy; those trials should provide direction about the best integration of cetuximab into standard treatment. In patients with recurrent or metastatic HNSCC who experience progressive disease despite, or who are unsuitable for, first-line platinum-based chemotherapy, gefitinib at doses of 250 mg or 500 mg daily, compared with weekly methotrexate, did not increase median overall survival [hazard ratio (hr): 1.22; 96% confidence interval (ci): 0.95 to 1.57; p = 0.12 (for 250 mg daily vs. weekly methotrexate); hr: 1.12; 95% ci: 0.87 to 1.43; p = 0.39 (for 500 mg daily vs. weekly methotrexate)] or objective response rate (2.7% for 250 mg and 7.6% for 500 mg daily vs. 3.9% for weekly methotrexate, p > 0.05). As compared with methotrexate, gefitinib was associated with an increased incidence of tumour hemorrhage (8.9% for 250 mg and 11.4% for 500 mg daily vs. 1.9% for weekly methotrexate).

Dose-intensive chemotherapy with growth factor or autologous bone marrow or stem-cell transplant support in first-line treatment of advanced or metastatic adult soft tissue sarcoma: a clinical practice guideline.

QUESTIONS: In patients with inoperable locally advanced or metastatic soft tissue sarcoma, does first-line dose-intensive chemotherapy supported by growth factor or autologous bone marrow or stem-cell transplantation improve response rate, time to disease progression, or survival as compared with standard-dose chemotherapy? What are the effects of first-line dose-intensive chemotherapy supported by growth factor or autologous bone marrow or stem-cell transplantation on toxicity and quality of life? PERSPECTIVES: Because therapeutic options for adult patients with advanced or metastatic soft tissue sarcoma are scarce and the possibility of cure for these patients is extremely limited, the Sarcoma Disease Site Group (dsg) felt that a review of the available literature on dose-intensive chemotherapy for adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic soft tissue sarcoma and subsequent development of a clinical practice guideline based on the evidence were important. METHODOLOGY: A systematic review was developed and clinical recommendations relevant to patients in Ontario were drafted. The practice guideline report was reviewed and approved by the Sarcoma dsg, which comprises medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgeons, a pathologist, a methodologist, and community representatives. External review by Ontario practitioners was obtained through a mailed survey, the results of which were incorporated into the practice guideline. Final review and approval of the practice guideline was obtained from the Report Approval Panel. PRACTICE GUIDELINE: Based on the systematic review, consensus, and external review, the Sarcoma dsg makes these recommendations: Dose-intensive chemotherapy with growth factor support is not recommended in the first-line treatment of patients with inoperable locally advanced or metastatic soft tissue sarcoma. The data are insufficient to support the use of high-dose chemotherapy with autologous bone marrow or stem-cell transplantation as first-line treatment in this group of patients. Eligible patients should be encouraged to enter clinical trials assessing novel approaches or compounds. QUALIFYING STATEMENTS: High-dose chemotherapy with growth factor or autologous bone marrow or stem-cell transplantation has adverse effects similar to those seen with standard-dose chemotherapy. With high-dose regimens, the incidence of grades 3 and 4 thrombocytopenia is significantly higher, and neutropenic fever and febrile neutropenia occur more frequently. Compared with standard treatment, the rate of treatment-related death is also higher with high-dose regimens.

Ifosfamide-based combination chemotherapy in advanced soft-tissue sarcoma: a practice guideline.

QUESTIONS: In adult patients with inoperable locally advanced or metastatic soft-tissue sarcoma, do combination chemotherapy regimens containing ifosfamide have an advantage in terms of response rate, time to progression, or survival, as compared with similar regimens without ifosfamide when used as first-line therapy? What are the adverse effects and effects on quality of life of ifosfamide-containing combination chemotherapy as compared with similar regimens without ifosfamide? PERSPECTIVES: The prognosis for patients with inoperable or meta-static soft-tissue sarcoma (sts) remains grim. Although the surgical resection of pulmonary metastases may be curative in 15%-30% of patients with isolated slow-growing metastases, most patients receive chemotherapy for palliative purposes. Ifosfamide has documented activity in patients who have received prior treatment with, or who have progressed on, doxorubicin. A number of studies have suggested a schedule and a dose-response relationship for ifosfamide in metastatic sts. Ifosfamide has also been assessed in combination with other drugs such as doxorubicin and dacarbazine (dtic); results of such studies have led some authors to suggest that polychemotherapy using "appropriate doses" of ifosfamide and doxorubicin may represent the "most effective systemic treatment" in this population. Given the limited effective therapeutic options available for patients with metastatic sts, the Sarcoma Disease Site Group (dsg) felt that a need existed to more specifically evaluate the potential benefits of ifosfamide-containing combination chemotherapy in that setting. The Sarcoma dsg developed an evidence-based series report through systematic review, evidence synthesis, and input from practitioners across Ontario. OUTCOMES: Outcomes of interest included survival, response rate, adverse events, and quality of life. METHODOLOGY: A systematic review and meta-analysis served as the evidentiary base for this clinical practice guideline. The report was reviewed and approved by the Sarcoma dsg, which comprises medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgeons, methodologists, and patient representatives. The results of an external review by Ontario practitioners, obtained through a mailed survey, were incorporated into this report. Final approval of the evidence-based series report was obtained from the Report Approval Panel of Cancer Care Ontario's Program in Evidence-Based Care (pebc). RESULTS: The current practice guideline reflects a combination of the draft recommendations (based on the evidence identified in a systematic review and meta-analysis) and the external feedback from Ontario practitioners and the pebc's Report Approval Panel. PRACTICE GUIDELINE: In patients with metastatic sts, the addition of ifosfamide to standard first-line doxorubicin-containing regimens is not recommended over single-agent doxorubicin. However, in patients with symptomatic, locally advanced, or inoperable sts, in whom tumour response might potentially result in reduced symptomatology or render a tumour resectable, use of ifosfamide in combination with doxorubicin is reasonable. QUALIFYING STATEMENT: In combination with a doxorubicin-containing regimen, the dose of ifosfamide should not exceed 7.5 g/m(2), given as either a split bolus or a continuous infusion.