While induction chemotherapy has been serving as a larynx-preservation strategy for laryngeal cancer, the toxicity of docetaxel-cisplatin-fluorouracil (TPF) regimens and their impact on this treatment have become an issue. The paclitaxel-carboplatin-cetuximab (PCE) regimen tends to cause fewer adverse events, including hematologic toxicities, than TPF, and is used as an induction chemotherapy regimen. In this study, we evaluated the safety and outcome of 12 patients with T3 or N2b or higher laryngeal cancer who received PCE induction chemotherapy at our department. The response rate was 83.3%, and the incidence rate of G3 or higher adverse events was 41.7%. Among the four patients treated with chemoradiotherapy, the cisplatin completion rate was 100%. The larynx preservation survival rate was 81.8%. The local recurrence rate differed depending on the response to PCE therapy, and a favorable local control rate was observed in patients with PR or higher, indicating that the PCE regimen-as one of the induction chemotherapy regimens for laryngeal cancer-may contribute to laryngeal preservation. The development of biomarkers to predict the efficacy of induction chemotherapy is a future challenge.
