Table 1.
Recently randomized controlled trials comparing the induction chemotherapy plus concurrent chemoradiotherapy with concurrent chemoradiotherapy alone in locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
| Study | Phase | Sample size | Induction chemotherapy regimen at experimental arm | Concurrent chemotherapy regimen at control group | Median PFS (95% CI) | PFS HR (95%CI) | Median OS (95% CI) | OS HR (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hui et al. (56) | Phase II | 65 | Docetaxel 75 mg/m2 on day 1 and cisplatin 75 mg/m2 on day 1 every 3 weeks for 2 cycles | Cisplatin 40 mg/m2 every week for 8 weeks | 3-year: 88% vs. 60% | 0.49 (0.20–1.19) | 3-year: 94% vs. 68% | 0.24 (0.08–0.73) |
| Fountzilas et al. (57) | Phase II | 141 | Cisplatin 75 mg/m2 on day 2, epirubicin 75 mg/m2 on day 1, and paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 on day 1 every 3 weeks for 4 cycles | Cisplatin 40 mg/m2 every week | 3-year: 65% vs. 64% | 1.40 (0.71–2.77) | 3-year: 67% vs. 72% | 0.95 (0.48–1.89) |
| Tan et al. (58) | Phase II/III | 172 | Gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m², carboplatin AUC = 2.5, paclitaxel 70 mg/m² on day 1 and day 8 every 3 weeks for 3 cycles | Cisplatin 40 mg/m2 every week for 8 weeks | 3-year DFS: 75% vs. 67% | 0.77 (0.44–1.35) | 3-year: 94% vs. 92% | 1.05 (0–2.19) |
| Li et al. (59) | Phase III | 480 | Docetaxel 60 mg/m2 on day 1, cisplatin 60 mg/m2 on day 1, and fluorouracil 600 mg/m2/day on days 1–5 every 3 weeks for 3 cycles | Cisplatin 100 mg/m2 every 3 weeks for 3 cycles | 5-year FFS: 77% vs. 66% | 0.67 (0.48–0.91) | 5-year: 86% vs.77% | 0.65 (0.43–0.98) |
| Yang et al. (60) | Phase III | 476 | Cisplatin 80 mg/m2 on day 1, fluorouracil 800 mg/m2/day on days 1–5 every 3 weeks for 2 cycles | Cisplatin 80 mg/m2 every 3 weeks for 3 cycles | 5-year DFS: 73% vs. 63% | 0.66 (0.48–0.89) | 5-year: 81% vs. 77% | 0.69 (0.49–0.98) |
| Frikha et al. (61) | Phase III | 83 | Docetaxel 75 mg/m2 on day 1, cisplatin 75 mg/m2 day 1, and fluorouracil 750 mg/m2/day on days 1–5 every 3 weeks for 3 cycles | Cisplatin 40 mg/m2 every week | 3-year: 74% vs. 57% | 0.44 (0.20–0.97) | 3-year: 86% vs. 69% | 0.40 (0.15–1.04) |
| Hong et al. (62) | Phase III | 479 | Mitomycin 8 mg/m2, epirubicin 60 mg/m2, and cisplatin 60 mg/m2 on day 1, fluorouracil 450 mg/m2, and leucovorin 30 mg/m2 on day 8 every 3 weeks for 3 cycles | Cisplatin 30 mg/m2 every week | 5-year DFS: 61% vs. 50% | 0.74 (0.57–0.97) | 5-year: 72% vs. 68% | 0.92 (0.67–1.27) |
| Zhang et al. (63) | Phase III | 480 | Gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8, cisplatin 80 mg/m2 on day 1 every 3 weeks for 3 cycles | Cisplatin 100 mg/m2 every week for 3 cycles | 3-year RFS: 85% vs. 77% | 0.51 (0.34–0.77) | 3-year: 95% vs. 90% | 0.43 (0.24–0.77) |
| Lee et al. (64) | Phase III | 802 | Cisplatin 100 mg/m2, either fluorouracil 1,000 mg/m2/day for 120 h or capecitabine 2,000 mg/m2/day for 14 days every 3 weeks for 3 cycles | Cisplatin 100 mg/m2 every 21 days for 2 to 3 cycles | 5-year: 75% vs. 69% (control group: concurrent-adjuvant sequence) | 0.84 (0.65–1.08) | 5-year: 82% vs.77% (control group: concurrent-adjuvant sequence) | 0.82 (0.62–1.08) |
PFS, progression-free survival; OS, overall survival; HR, hazard ratio.