Abstract
Carboplatin（CBDCA）-based chemotherapy is considered for patients with recurrent/metastatic（RM）head and neck squamous cell carcinoma who are unsuitable for Cisplatin-based chemotherapy. In addition, efficacy of the combination of CBDCA and Paclitaxel（PTX）（TC therapy）has been reported in patients with RM head and neck non-squamous cell carcinoma.
Efficacy and safety of TC therapy were retrospectively reviewed in patients with RM head and neck carcinoma at Nagoya City University Hospital from August 2014 to June 2018. CBDCA and PTX were given in a 21-day cycle（CBDCA, AUC6 and PTX, 175mg/m2 on day 1）.
A total of 18 patients were enrolled in this study. Among them, 12 patients had squamous cell carcinoma（SCC）and 6 had non-squamous cell carcinoma（nonSCC）.
Two patients（18.2％）achieved a partial response in the SCC group, and three patients（60.0％）achieved a partial response in the nonSCC group. As for complications, grade 3-4 toxicities included neutropenia（81.3％）and leukocytopenia（56.3％）. No treatment-related death was seen.
This study indicated the efficacy and safety of TC therapy, especially for nonSCC patients. Although severe blood toxicities were observed, all of those were manageable using G-CSF formulations and preventative antibiotics. TC therapy is an effective option for patients with RM head and neck carcinoma who are unsuitable for Cisplatin-based chemotherapy.
