Clinical study of nimotuzumab and three dimensional conformal radiotherapy in the treatment of recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Abstract

Objective To investigate efficacy and tolerability of nimotuzumab in combination with three dimensional conformal radiotherapy in recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma.Methods 32 cases of recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma were randomly divided into control group and experimental group,16 cases in each group.Control group was treated with conventional concomitant fractionated radiation (60-70 Gy in 2 Gy fractions) and 2 cycles of cisplatin 20 mg/m2 (d1-4) every 3 weeks.Nimotuzumab was added at a dose of 100 mg i.v.weekly for 6-7 weeks at the beginning of radiotherapy in experimental group.Results The response rate (RR) and the disease control rate (DCR) of control group were 43.75％ and 68.75％ respectively,while those of experimental group were 50％ and 75％ respectively,without significant differences between two groups.The most common reported adverse events were lymphopenia and gastrointestinal reactions,with significant difference between two groups.The most frequent nimotuzumab-related adverse events were fever (25％),hypotension (18.75％) and rash (18.75％),which didn' t disturb the therapy.Conclusion Nimotuzumab in combination with three dimensional conformal radiotherapy is well-tolerated and feasible for recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma,worthy of clinical application. Key words: Recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma; Nimotuzumab; Three dimensional conformal radiotherapy; Cisplatin