Conditions: Cancer of the Head and Neck
Keywords: Cancer of the Head and Neck
Allocation: NA | Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Enrollment: 8
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
The combination of oxaliplatin and gemcitabine is highly active in a wide variety of tumors including pancreatic, germ cell, breast, biliary, mesothelioma (Mitchell et al, 2002), and lung. In the last study which utilized days 1 and 8 gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 and days 1 and 8 oxaliplatin 65 mg/m2 in poor prognosis lung cancer patients (PS 1-3) the response rate was 16% with no incidence of febrile neutropenia.

Toxicity is a crucial consideration when designing regimens intended for palliation. Toxicities associated with cisplatin can make it difficult to use in patients with Head and Neck Cancer (HNC), many of whom are elderly and have comorbidities. In addition, many patients with metastatic HNC have previously received cisplatin during neoadjuvant/adjuvant therapy, or as part of their primary chemoradiation treatment. When these patients recur, it is possible their tumors have innate or acquired cisplatin resistance. Oxaliplatin is likely to be better tolerated than cisplatin containing regimens, especially with regards to neurotoxicity. Gemcitabine has shown promising activity as a single agent and in combination chemotherapy in the first line treatment of patients with HNC. A combination chemotherapy regimen using oxaliplatin and gemcitabine administered once every week is logical and worth exploring in patients with metastatic and recurrent head and neck cancer to improve the toxicity profile and patient monitoring while maintaining efficacy of the chemotherapy regimen.

Detailed description:

Arms:
arm 1: Gemcitabine given 1000 mg/m2 IV over 100 minutes Every 21 days. Oxaliplatin given 65 mg/m2 IV over 120 minutes immediately following gemcitabine Every 21 days.

Interventions: intervention 1: Gemcitabine intervention 2: Oxaliplatin
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: 1000 mg/m2 IV over 100 minutes Every 21 days intervention 2: 65 mg/m2 IV over 120 minutes immediately following gemcitabine Every 21 days

Protocol document: