Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31903657›Full record

Trial reportHead & neck2020

Methotrexate plus or minus cetuximab as first-line treatment in a recurrent or metastatic (R/M) squamous cell carcinoma population of the head and neck (SCCHN), unfit for cisplatin combination treatment, a phase Ib-randomized phase II study Commence.

Janneke C Ham, Esther van Meerten, W Edward Fiets, Laurens V Beerepoot, Frank J F Jeurissen, Marije Slingerland, Marianne A Jonker, Olga Husson, Winette T A van der Graaf, Carla M L van Herpen

Open access · hybridAbstract readClinical Trial, Phase IClinical Trial, Phase IIRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Head & neck, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed
1.9field-weighted citation impact, top 14% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

10 citing papers in PubMed, 19 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
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  10. The Prognostic Value and Immune Landscapes of a mFrontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2021
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 7 institutions in 2 countries.

Janneke C HamDepartment of Medical Oncology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, HB, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-9004-1767
Esther van MeertenDepartment of Medical Oncology, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Rotterdam, GD, The Netherlands.
W Edward FietsDepartment of Internal Medicine, Medical Center Leeuwarden, Leeuwarden, AD, The Netherlands.
Laurens V BeerepootDepartment of Internal Medicine, Elisabeth TweeSteden Hospital, Tilburg, AD, The Netherlands.
Frank J F JeurissenDepartment of Internal Medicine, Medical Center Haaglanden, The Hague, VA, The Netherlands.
Marije SlingerlandDepartment of Medical Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, ZA, The Netherlands.
Marianne A JonkerBiostatistics, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, HB, The Netherlands.
Olga HussonDepartment of Psychosocial Research and Epidemiology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, CX, The Netherlands.
Winette T A van der GraafDepartment of Medical Oncology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, HB, The Netherlands.
Carla M L van HerpenDepartment of Medical Oncology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, HB, The Netherlands.
Radboud University Nijmegen · NLElisabeth-TweeSteden Ziekenhuis · NLErasmus MC Cancer Institute · NLInstitute of Cancer Research · GBLeiden University Medical Center · NLMedisch Centrum Haaglanden · NLMedisch Centrum Leeuwarden · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMethotrexate in recurrent or metastatic (R/M) squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) has limited progression-free survival (PFS) benefit. We hypothesized that adding cetuximab to methotrexate improves PFS.

methodsIn the phase-Ib-study, patients with R/M SCCHN received methotrexate and cetuximab as first-line treatment. The primary objective was feasibility. In the phase-II-study patients were randomized to this combination or methotrexate alone (2:1). The primary endpoint was PFS. Secondary endpoints were overall survival (OS), toxicity, and quality of life (QoL).

resultsIn six patients in the phase-Ib-study, no dose limiting toxicities were observed. In the phase II study, 30 patients received the combination and 15 patients methotrexate. In the phase-II-study median PFS was 4.5 months in the combination group vs 2.0 months in the methotrexate group (HR 0.37; P = .002). OS, toxicity, and QoL were not significantly different.

conclusionCetuximab with methotrexate improved PFS without increased toxicity in R/M SCCHN-patients.

Indexed as

Carcinoma, Squamous CellHead and Neck NeoplasmsAntineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy ProtocolsCetuximabCisplatinHumansMethotrexateNeoplasm Recurrence, LocalQuality of LifeSquamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and NeckCetuximabCisplatinMethotrexatecetuximabfirst-linemethotrexatepalliative treatmentrecurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

Identifiers

PMID31903657
PMCPMC7216894
OpenAlexW2998323740

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.