Is Chemotherapy with Carboplatin and 5-Fluorouracil Effective, Worthwhile Palliative Treatment in Recurrent/Metastatic Non-oral Cavity Head and Neck Carcinoma?

Madam — Since the publication of the EXTREME trial [1], cisplatin/carboplatin, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and cetuximab has become the standard of care as first-line palliative chemotherapy for recurrent/metastatic head and neck carcinoma (HNC) [2,3]. However, in England, cetuximab in HNC was only available through the Cancer Drugs Fund [2]. In August 2017, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) withdrew cetuximab from use in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy in all non-oral cavity recurrent/metastatic HNC [4].
Source: Clinical Oncology - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: Letter Source Type: research