Carboplatin in combination with 3-weekly paclitaxel as first-line therapy in patients with recurrent/metastatic head-and-neck cancers: A regional cancer center experience

Background: Head-and-neck cancers (HNCs) collectively are the sixth most common malignancy diagnosed worldwide and treatment in recurrent/metastatic setting is challenging. This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of carboplatin and paclitaxel as first-line treatment in patients with recurrent and/or metastatic (R/M HNCs). Materials and Methods: A total of 182 patients with recurrent and/or metastatic HNC who received carboplatin and paclitaxel combination 3 weekly as first-line therapy at medical oncology department of our tertiary care cancer institute in Bangalore between January 2018 and January 2020 were reviewed. The patients who progressed during chemotherapy were receiving oral metronomic chemotherapy or best supportive chemotherapy. The patients were followed up every 2 monthly. Results: At the completion of treatment, the overall response rate was 15.4%. The median progression-free survival was 4.3 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.9–5.6), and the median overall survival was 8.2 months (95% CI: 6.8–9.7). The main toxicities in the present study were Grade 3–4 hematologic 19.8%, mucositis 1.6%, and diarrhea 2.7%, and the rate of febrile neutropenia was 6.6%. None of the patients died of treatment-related toxicity. Conclusion: The combination of carboplatin with 3-weekly paclitaxel is effective in R/M HNC patients.