Post-operative Concurrent Chemo-radiotherapy Versus Post-operative Radiotherapy for Cancer of the Head and Neck

Skin Cancer Clinical Trial

Official title:

Post-operative Concurrent Chemo-radiotherapy Versus Post-operative Radiotherapy in High-risk Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT00193895
• Other study ID #: TROG 05.01
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 3
• First received: September 13, 2005
• Last updated: April 4, 2018
• Start date: April 2005
• Est. completion date: March 31, 2016

Study information

• Verified date: April 2018
• Source: Trans-Tasman Radiation Oncology Group (TROG)
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The primary objective of the trial is to determine, in patients who have undergone surgery with curative intent for high-risk CSCC of the head and neck, whether there is a difference in time to loco-regional relapse between patients treated with post-operative concurrent chemo-radiotherapy ,consisting of Carboplatin, and post-operative radiotherapy alone. The target sample size for the trial is 266 patients and will take 3-4 years to accrue, based on an anticipated accrual of 80 patients/year. A further 2 years follow up is required.

Description:

Two in every 3 Australians will be affected by skin cancer over their lifetime. The prevalence of skin cancer will continue to increase due to the ageing population and represents a significant problem in our community. Cure of early (T1-2) de novo cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) treated with either curative intent surgery or radiotherapy is 85-100%. However, the cure rate for locally advanced, recurrent, or metastatic disease to regional nodes following surgery alone are much lower, in the order of 20-70%. Metastatic CSCC is the most common malignancy of the parotid region in Australia. The 5 year loco-regional control with surgery alone is in the order of 40%-45%. The addition of post-operative radiotherapy improves loco-regional control by 15-20%, and is therefore considered the standard of care in this group of patients.

Recent data have shown that synchronous post-operative chemo-radiotherapy is superior to post-operative radiotherapy alone in "high-risk" mucosal head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). However, to date, there is no evidence from randomised trials that such a benefit exists in CSCC of the head and neck. At present there is little consensus amongst clinicians in Australia as to who should receive post-operative chemo-radiotherapy in CSCC. Although tumour control rates may be improved, the addition of chemotherapy may also significantly increase treatment related toxicity. Nonetheless, some centres have adopted the use of post-operative chemo-radiotherapy in selected patients with CSCC based on extrapolation from mucosal sites. This has resulted in a wide variability in practice for this disease.

Australia is uniquely placed to perform such a trial comparing post-operative chemo-radiotherapy to post-operative radiotherapy alone in high-risk CSCC due to the high rate of skin cancer. Currently there are limited data to guide management of patients with resected CSCC who are at high risk for recurrence. While it is reasonable to hypothesize that concurrent chemotherapy in this setting will confer a similar benefit to that seen in mucosal HNSCC, this can only be established by a randomized trial as proposed. If the addition of chemotherapy is shown to be beneficial and safe, then these results are likely to be translated into standard practice both nationally and internationally quite rapidly. On the other hand, if the treatment is found to be ineffective then patients will be spared the unnecessary toxicity and inconvenience associated with the addition of chemotherapy. A further important aspect of this trial will be the assessment of patient-related outcomes using a validated quality of life questionnaire. It will be important to ascertain whether any improvement in locoregional control due to the addition of chemotherapy, is also associated with improvement in quality of life compared to the control arm.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 321
• Est. completion date: March 31, 2016
• Est. primary completion date: March 2016
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Histologically proven SCC

• Patients have undergone either:

• Resection of the primary lesion

• Any type of parotidectomy (superficial, total, partial, etc.)

• Any type of neck dissection(s)

• High risk feature(s); Advanced primary disease or high risk nodal disease

High Risk Nodal Disease

• Intra-parotid nodal disease (any number or size, with/without extracapsular extension, with/without an identifiable index lesion)

• Cervical nodal disease with a synchronous index lesion or previously resected cutaneous primary tumour (<5 years) within the corresponding nodal drainage and a mucosal primary has been excluded with at least a CT +/- MRI and panendoscopy* *For cervical nodal disease to be eligible there must be at least one of the following criteria:

• > 2 nodes

• largest node > 3 cm

• Extracapsular extension

Advanced Primary Disease (TNM 6th Edition 2002) (Appendix 1)

• T3-4 primary disease (cartilage, skeletal, muscle, bone involvement, > 4 cm) of the head and neck including lip, nose and external auditory canal with or without nodal disease

• In transit metastases (metastases between the primary site and the adjoining nodal basin)

• Age > 18 years

• Written informed consent

• ECOG <= 2

• Absolute neutrophil count > 1.5 X 10^9/L, platelet count > 100 X 10^9/L, and haemoglobin > 10 g/dL (pre-radiotherapy blood transfusion to elevate the haemoglobin > 10 g/dL is permissible)

• Calculated creatinine clearance (Cockcroft-Gault) >= 40 mL/min

• Available for follow-up for up to 5 years

• Life expectancy greater than 6 months

Exclusion Criteria:

• Intercurrent illness that will interfere with either the chemotherapy or radiotherapy such as immunosuppression due to medication or medical condition

• Metastasis(es) below the clavicles

• Previous radical radiotherapy to the head and neck, excluding treatment of an early glottic cancer greater than or equal to 2 years ago and superficial radiotherapy to cutaneous SCC or Basal cell carcinoma

• High risk for poor compliance with therapy or follow-up as assessed by investigator

• Pregnant or lactating women

• Patients with prior cancers, except: those diagnosed > 5 years ago with no evidence of disease recurrence and clinical expectation of recurrence of less than 5%; or successfully treated Level 1 cutaneous melanomas or early glottic cancer > 2 years ago; or non-melanoma skin cancer; or carcinoma in situ of the cervix.

• Low risk cervical nodal disease* without advanced primary disease

*Low risk cervical nodal disease is defined as the presence of all of the following criteria:

• single nodal metastasis

• greater then or equal to 3cm,

• no extracapsular extension

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Skin Cancer
• Skin Neoplasms

Intervention

Drug:
• Carboplatin
Carboplatin will commence with a dose calculated to target an AUC of 2.0. A maximum of 6 doses of weekly Carboplatin will be given. Carboplatin will be administered intravenously over 20-30 minutes prior to radiation therapy.

Radiation:
• Radiotherapy
60 Gy OR 66Gy in 2Gy/fraction 5days/week

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Australia	Royal Adelaide Hospital	Adelaide	South Australia
Australia	Princess Alexandra Hospital	Brisbane	Queensland
Australia	Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre	East Melbourne	Victoria
Australia	Andrew Love Cancer Care Centre, Geelong Hospital	Geelong	Victoria
Australia	Royal Brisbane Hospital	Herston	Queensland
Australia	Liverpool Hospital	Liverpool	New South Wales
Australia	William Buckland Radiotherapy Centre, The Alfred	Melbourne	Victoria
Australia	Calvary Mater Newcastle	Newcastle	New South Wales
Australia	Mater QRI	South Brisbane	Queensland
Australia	Royal North Shore Hospital	St Leonards	New South Wales
Australia	Royal Prince Alfred Hospital	Sydney	New South Wales
Australia	St Andrew's Toowoomba Hospital	Toowoomba	Queensland
Australia	North Queensland Oncology Service	Townsville	Queensland
Australia	Genesis Cancer Care (previously Premion)	Tugun	Queensland
Australia	Riverina Cancer Centre	Wagga Wagga	New South Wales
Australia	Westmead Hospital	Wentworthville	New South Wales
Australia	Illawarra Cancer Care Centre	Wollongong	New South Wales
New Zealand	Auckland Hospital	Auckland
New Zealand	Christchurch Hospital	Christchurch
New Zealand	Waikato Hospital	Hamilton
New Zealand	Palmerston North Hospital	Palmerston North

Sponsors (3)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Trans-Tasman Radiation Oncology Group (TROG)	Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Australia, The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists

Countries where clinical trial is conducted

Australia,  New Zealand, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Loco-regional Control		The date of primary outcome analysis will occur when the final patient has reached a minimum 2 years follow-up.
Secondary	Disease Free Survival		The date of analysis will occur when the final patient has reached a minimum 2 years follow-up.
Secondary	Overall Survival		The date of analysis will occur when the final patient has reached a minimum 2 years follow-up.
Secondary	Quality of Life		The date of analysis will occur when the final patient has reached a minimum 2 years follow-up.
Secondary	Treatment-related Late Effects		The date of analysis will occur when the final patient has reached a minimum 2 years follow-up.

External Links

•   Click here for more information about this study on the TROG official website