Toxicity of concurrent chemoradiotherapy with cetuximab for locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Overexpression of the epidermal growth factor receptor can be found in 80 % of patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and is associated with shorter survival. In this work, we evaluated the feasibility of adding cetuximab to concurrent cisplatin and radiotherapy (RT) in locoregionally advanced NPC. Twenty-eight patients with locoregionally advanced NPC who received the combination therapy were retrospectively reviewed and short-term efficacy was evaluated. Grade 3-4 oral mucositis occurred in 20 (71.4 %) patients. Grade 3 radiotherapy-related dermatitis occurred in seven patients (25 %). Three patients (14.3 %) had grade 3 and one patient (3.6 %) had grade 4 cetuximab-related acneiform rashes. These grade 3-4 skin and mucosal toxic effects were manageable and reversible. At a median follow-up of 33.4 months (95 % CI 29.2-38.1 months), the 2-year progression-free survival was 89.3 % (95 % CI 76.4-98.1 %). In conclusion, concurrent administration of cetuximab, cisplatin and RT is a feasible strategy against locoregionally advanced NPC. Preliminary survival data compare favorably with historic data and further follow-up is warranted.

Mepilex Lite dressings for managing acute radiation dermatitis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients: a systematic controlled clinical trial.

More than 60% nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients receiving the radical radiotherapy treatment will develop moist desquamation skin reaction at some time during the course of treatment. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of Mepilex Lite dressings and the usual care in the healing of postirradiation dermatitis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients. This was a randomized controlled trial, and a sample of 88 nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients who had developed radiation dermatitis was assessed. Comparisons were made regarding parameters related to wound healing, including healing time and wound pain, and also regarding the impact of wound on the patient, including restriction of neck movement, sleep problem, and disturbance in body image. The results showed that radiation-induced dermatitis in the study group (Mepilex Lite, 43 patients) healed in a median of 16 days, which was significantly different from the healing time in the control group (median 23 days, 45 patients; P = 0.009). No statistically significant differences were detected between the 2 groups with respect to neck mobility and appearance disturbance. However, Mepilex significantly improved patients' sleep (P = 0.005). The researchers conclude that Mepilex Lite dressing provides a promising alternative to radiation dermatitis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients and is worthy of further research.