Integrating Metronomic Therapy With Standard Chemotherapy in Advanced Unresectable Head and Neck Cancer: A Randomized Trial Addressing Global Cancer Care Equity (METRO PLUS).

PURPOSE: Advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) carries a poor prognosis, particularly in resource-limited settings with restricted access to targeted or immune therapies. We evaluated whether adding triple oral metronomic chemotherapy (OMCT; erlotinib, celecoxib, methotrexate) to paclitaxel-carboplatin (PC) improves overall survival (OS) in patients with platinum-sensitive, unresectable advanced HNSCC. This was a single-center, investigator-initiated, prospective, randomized, open-label, phase III superiority trial conducted at a tertiary cancer center in North India.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

A total of 238 adults with histologically confirmed, unresectable advanced HNSCC eligible for palliative platinum-based chemotherapy were randomly assigned 1:1 after stratification by tumor site and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status. Arm A received PC plus OMCT; Arm B received PC alone. The primary end point was OS. Secondary end points included progression-free survival (PFS), quality of life (QoL; European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire C30 and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Head & Neck), and safety.

RESULTS

Among 238 patients (119 per arm), the median age was 47 years; 97.8% were male, and 78% had ECOG performance status (PS) 0-1. The median OS was 10 months (95% CI, 8.3 to 11.7) with PC + OMCT versus 5 months (95% CI, 3.9 to 6.1) with PC alone (hazard ratio [HR], 0.54 [95% CI, 0.41 to 0.72]; P < .001). The median PFS was 6 months versus 2 months, respectively (HR, 0.38 [95% CI, 0.28 to 0.50]; P < .001). QoL analyses demonstrated clinically meaningful preservation across multiple domains in the PC + OMCT arm. Grade ≥3 toxicities did not increase with the addition of OMCT.

CONCLUSION

In platinum-sensitive advanced HNSCC, the addition of triple OMCT to PC significantly improved OS and PFS with acceptable toxicity. PC + OMCT represents a feasible and cost-conscious first-line option in resource-constrained settings.