Safety and efficacy of nimotuzumab combined with chemoradiotherapy in Chinese patients with locally advanced cervical cancer

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate efficacy and safety of nimotuzumab combined with chemotherapy and radiotherapy in women with locally advanced cervical cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Women with locally advanced cervical cancer (stage IIB, III, or IVA) who experienced relapse after first-line chemoradiotherapy and one or more lines of palliative chemotherapy were enrolled. All patients received nimotuzumab weekly at 200 mg/m(2) as single agent for 4 weeks (induction phase), then concurrent with 6 cycles (21-day per cycle) of gemcitabine (800 mg/m(2)) or cisplatin (50 mg/m(2)) for 18 weeks (concurrent phase) and then once every 2 weeks (maintenance phase). Overall response rate (ORR) was assessed after 4 weeks of induction therapy and then every 3 months according to response evaluation criteria in solid tumors version 1.1 (primary end point). Secondary end points include progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and drug toxicity. Descriptive statistics was used for ORR, and Kaplan–Meier curves were generated for OS and PFS. RESULTS: A total of 80 women with locally advanced cervical cancer were enrolled and evaluated for safety and efficacy. Our results demonstrated that none of the patients had a complete response (0%), 11 patients had a partial response (14%), and 10 patients had progressive disease (13%), giving a tumor response rate of 14%. A total of 59 patients had stable disease (74%), giving a disease control rate of 88% (70/80). Median PFS was 8.21 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.09–12.45). Median OS was 11.96 months (95% CI: 8.11–23.95). The most common adverse events were mucositis, myelosuppression, and gastrointestinal disturbance. CONCLUSION: Our study results suggested that nimotuzumab in combination with chemotherapy and radiotherapy is well tolerated, and could be a better treatment alternative in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer.