PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - PRIMOŽ STROJAN
AU  - BRANKO ZAKOTNIK
AU  - BARBARA ŽUMER
AU  - KATARINA KARNER
AU  - MARTA DREMELJ
AU  - BORIS JANČAR
AU  - SIMONA JEREB
AU  - CVETKA GRAŠIČ-KUHAR
TI  - Skin Reaction to Cetuximab as a Criterion for Treatment Selection in Head and Neck Cancer
AID  - 10.21873/anticanres.12717
DP  - 2018 Jul 01
TA  - Anticancer Research
PG  - 4213--4220
VI  - 38
IP  - 7
4099  - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/38/7/4213.short
4100  - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/38/7/4213.full
SO  - Anticancer Res2018 Jul 01; 38
AB  - Background/Aim: It can be hypothesized that in patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer and prominent cetuximab (CMb)-induced skin rash, immunoradiotherapy would result in a survival advantage over chemoradiotherapy with cisplatin (CP). Patients and Methods: After a loading dose of CMb, one weekly cycle of CMb and CP concurrently with RT, patients who developed a grade ≥2 rash proceeded with immunoradiotherapy, and those with a grade 0-1 rash had chemoradiotherapy. Results: A grade 3-4 allergic reaction to CMb developed in 11/39 (28.2%) patients and further recruitment was stopped. These patients proceeded treatment with CP. In early assessment of skin rash 10/28 patients qualified for chemoradiotherapy and 18/28 patients for immunoradiotherapy. There was no difference in survival between the two groups. Conclusion: Rate of serious CMb-induced hypersensitivity reactions was unacceptably high. Even though immunoradiotherapy was administered only to the prognostically most favorable group of patients, it resulted in no advantage over chemoradiotherapy.