Neoadjuvant Chemo Boosts Structure Preservation Rates in Nasal, Sinus Cancer

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 18, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Neoadjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy improves structure preservation (SP) for patients with T3, T4a, and selected T4b resectable nasal and paranasal sinus squamous cell carcinoma (NPNSCC) requiring orbital or skull base resection, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the European Society for Medical Oncology, held from Sept. 13 to 17 in Barcelona, Spain.

Nabil F. Saba, M.D., from Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University in Atlanta, and colleagues reported the SP analysis in a study involving patients with T3, T4a, and selected T4b resectable NPNSCC. Participants were randomly allocated to receive surgery followed by postoperative radiation therapy of 60 Gy (standard arm) or the same treatment preceded by three cycles of neoadjuvant docetaxel 75 mg/m² and cisplatin 75 mg/m² (experimental arm). The SP rate and overall survival were the co-primary objectives.

After enrolling 29 patients, the study was closed due to slow accrual in November 2023. The researchers found that the overall SP rate was 32 percent among 22 evaluable patients, with rates of 15 and 56 percent in the standard arm and experimental arm, respectively. The overall orbit preservation rate was 55 percent, with rates of 46 and 67 percent in the standard and experimental arms, respectively. The overall skull base preservation rate was 55 percent, with rates of 38 and 78 percent, respectively, in the standard and experimental arms.

“Despite being unable to complete the planned accrual and reach a definitive answer, the study results are striking and support the use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy as an intervention that could improve the chance of organ preservation for these patients,” Saba said in a statement.

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