Source: Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center
Written by: Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center
Edited by: Wang Dongmei

On June 5, 2016, Professor Zhang Li from Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center was invited to present the results of a phase III trial regarding recurrent or metastatic (R/M) nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) at the 52nd American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting. This is the second time that Professor Zhang has presented at ASCO since his INFORM study in 2012.
This study compared the efficacy and safety of gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GP) vs. 5-FU plus cisplatin (FP) as the first-line treatment for recurrent or metastatic NPC patients. The rationale for this study was to improve the poor prognoses of R/M NPC and the lack of high-level trials supporting the standard of care for these patients.

From 2012 to 2015, a total of 362 R/M patients were allocated into randomized groups of 1:1 to receive either GP or FP. The primary aim of the study was progression-free survival rates (PFS). Secondary endpoints included overall survival rates (OS) and objective response rate (ORR). The results are encouraging. The median PFS was 7.0 months in the GP group and 5.8 months in the FP group (HR = 0.56; 95% CI [0.45-0.70]; p < 0.0001). this effect was consistent for the best orr (gp 64.1% versus fp 42.0%; p="0.0001)." the median os was 29.1 months for gp versus 20.9 months for fp (hr, 0.62; 95% ci, 0.45 to 0.84; p="0.002)." the most common grade ≥ 3 related adverse events (aes) were leukopenia (25.3%) and thrombocytopenia (12.9%) with gp and mucositis (13.4%) with fp.

This is currently the largest clinical trial in R/M NPC. The results are significant and will change the clinical practice of R/M NPC. Gemcitabine plus cisplatin will be recommended as the standard first line regimen for R/M NPC patients.

The ASCO meeting is the most important conference on clinical oncology in the world, with many remarkable results presented each year. This year, a total of eight significant studies were chosen for presentation. The study from Professor Zhang Li reflects the world-leading practice of Sun Yat-sen University in the field of NPC.