Efficacy and safety of capecitabine in heavily pretreated recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of capecitabine as a single agent in the treatment of recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Patients were treated with oral capecitabine according to good clinical practice. Efficacy and safety outcomes were analyzed retrospectively. The response and adverse events rates and their exact confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Survival distributions were estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method. Twenty-nine patients were included in the study. Twenty-five patients (86%) had received at least three previous lines of chemotherapy. The disease control rate was 48% (95% CI: 29–67%). The median progression-free survival was 2.0 months (95% CI: 0.1–3.9 months) and the median overall survival was 7.0 months (95% CI: 4.1–9.9 months). Hand–foot syndrome, fatigue, and mucositis were the most frequent severe side effects. No patient died, and only three patients discontinued treatment because of side effects. Capecitabine seems to be an active and well-tolerated regimen, even in heavily pretreated, frail patients. Level of evidence: 2C ‘Outcomes Research’.