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ABSTRACT: Purpose
We evaluated the addition of bevacizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody that targets vascular endothelial growth factor, to platinum-based chemotherapy in recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN).Patients and methods
Patients with chemotherapy-naïve (or with prior platinum as part of multimodal therapy completed ≥ 4 months earlier) recurrent or metastatic SCCHN were randomly assigned to receive a platinum-based chemotherapy doublet with or without bevacizumab 15 mg/kg given intravenously every 3 weeks until disease progression. Chemotherapy could be discontinued after six cycles if a maximum response was achieved.Results
The study randomly assigned 403 patients. Median overall survival (OS) was 12.6 months with bevacizumab plus chemotherapy (BC) and 11.0 months with chemotherapy alone (hazard ratio, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.70 to 1.09; P = .22). At 2, 3, and 4 years, the OS rates were 25.2% v 18.1%, 16.4% v 10.0%, and 11.8% v 6.4% for BC versus chemotherapy, respectively. In an analysis of 365 eligible patients who started treatment, the hazard ratio was 0.82 (95% CI, 0.65 to 1.04; P = .10), with a median OS of 14.2 months on BC v 11.1 months on chemotherapy. Median progression-free survival with BC was 6.0 months v 4.3 months with chemotherapy (P = .0014). Overall response rates were 35.5% with BC and 24.5% with chemotherapy (P = .016). There was increased toxicity, including a higher rate of treatment-related grade 3 to 5 bleeding events (6.7% v 0.5%; P < .001) and treatment-related deaths (9.3% v 3.5%; P = .022) with BC versus chemotherapy.Conclusion
The addition of bevacizumab to chemotherapy did not improve OS but improved the response rate and progression-free survival with increased toxicities. These results encourage biomarker-driven studies of angiogenesis inhibitors with better toxicity profiles in select patients with SCCHN.
SUBMITTER: Argiris A
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6980834 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Argiris Athanassios A Li Shuli S Savvides Panayiotis P Ohr James P JP Gilbert Jill J Levine Marshall A MA Chakravarti Arnab A Haigentz Missak M Saba Nabil F NF Ikpeazu Chukwuemeka V CV Schneider Charles J CJ Pinto Harlan A HA Forastiere Arlene A AA Burtness Barbara B
Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology 20191016 34
<h4>Purpose</h4>We evaluated the addition of bevacizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody that targets vascular endothelial growth factor, to platinum-based chemotherapy in recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN).<h4>Patients and methods</h4>Patients with chemotherapy-naïve (or with prior platinum as part of multimodal therapy completed ≥ 4 months earlier) recurrent or metastatic SCCHN were randomly assigned to receive a platinum-based chemotherapy doublet wi ...[more]