Webinar – Nimotuzumab for Head and Neck Cancer Indication: A randomized phase 3 trial of Nimotuzumab in locally advanced head and neck cancer

Speaker: Prof. Dr. Kumar Prabhash, Medical Oncologist in Tata Memorial Hospital India

The webinar was attended by more than 50 healthcare professional participants from across Asia. The webinar explained Prof. Prabhash’s phase III study from the 536 patients (1:1 in both study arms) with median follow-up was 39.13 months. The addition of nimotuzumab improved PFS (hazard ratio [HR], 0.69; 95% CI, 0.53-0.89; P = .004), LRC (HR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.50-0.89; P = .006), and DFS (HR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.55- 0.92; P = .008) and had a trend toward improved OS (HR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.65-1.08; P = .163). Grade 3 through 5 adverse events were similar between the 2 arms, except for a higher incidence of mucositis in the NCRT arm (66.7% vs 55.8%; P = .01). The addition of nimotuzumab to concurrent weekly cisplatin and chemoradiotherapy improves PFS, LRC, and DFS. Three-weekly cisplatin 100 mg/m² with radiotherapy 66-70 gy) remains the preferred option of treatment, and this combination provides a novel alternative therapeutic option when weekly cisplatin is used.