Abstract
Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a platinum-sensitive cancer and excision repair cross-complementing group 1 (ERCC1) polymorphisms have been shown to predict survival in several cancers following platinum therapy. Patients and methods: This multicenter study evaluated the activity of oxaliplatin and prolonged infusion of gemcitabine ('GEMOX' regimen) in recurrent NPC. Baseline blood samples were genotyped for the presence of ERCC1-118 gene polymorphisms. Results: Forty-two patients were recruited, of whom most (61%) had metastatic disease. Of the 40 patients evaluated for response, the respective overall response and disease control rates were 56.1% and 90.2%. At a median follow-up of 14.8 months, the respective median overall survival and time to progression were 19.6 months [95% confidence interval (CI) = 12.8-22 months] and 9 months (95% CI = 7.3-10 months). Grade 3-4 toxic effects were uncommon. The distribution of ERCC1-118 genotypes from 29 patients was C/C (n = 17, 40.5%), C/T (n = 10, 23.8%) and T/T (n = 2, 4.8%). No differences in survival or response rates were found between genotypes. Conclusions: GEMOX is active in the treatment of recurrent NPC. Detection of single-nucleotide gene polymorphisms from genomic DNA in peripheral blood is feasible in NPC and further studies are warranted.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1854-1859 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Annals of Oncology |
Volume | 20 |
Issue number | 11 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 16 Nov 2009 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- ERCC1 polymorphisms
- Gemcitabine
- Nasopharyngeal carcinoma
- Oxaliplatin
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Hematology
- Oncology