Cetuximab or nimotuzumab in combination with chemotherapy for treating recurrent/metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma: A meta‑analysis and systemic review

The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of cetuximab (CTX) or nimotuzumab (NTZ) in combination with chemotherapy for patients with recurrent and/or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (RM-NPC), and for this purpose, a single-group rate meta-analysis was performed. A systematic search of the Cochrane library, Pubmed, EMBASE, Chwina National Knowledge Infrastructure and WanFang databases for studies published until February 15, 2022 was performed. The 1-, 2-, 3- and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were the primary endpoints. Complete response, partial response, stable disease, objective response rate, disease control rate and grade ≥3 toxicities were considered secondary endpoints. Cochran Q test and I(2) statistics were performed to assess the heterogeneity among studies. A total of nine studies comprising 435 patients were included in the analysis. The pooled 1-, 2-, 3- and 5-year OS rates were 81.0% [95% confidence interval (CI): 65.0-90.7%], 49.9% (95% CI: 35.3-64.5%), 46.3% (95% CI: 31.4-61.8%) and 31.0% (95% CI: 20.8-43.4%), respectively. The pooled disease control rate and objective response rate were 88.7% (95% CI: 78.4-94.5%) and 55.6% (95% CI: 39.9-70.1%), respectively. In addition, all grade 3–4 adverse events from the included studies were gathered. In conclusion, the use of CTX or NTZ in combination with chemotherapy may be a feasible and safe option for treating RM-NPC.