MO27-1 Weekly Versus Three-Weekly Cisplatin Administration in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Meta-Analysis

We aimed to update the previous meta-analyses and give more insights on weekly versus three-weekly cisplatin administration in patients with head and neck cancers. This will provide additional knowledge on the use of weekly regimens and possibly change clinical practice guidelines and decision-making for the treatment of HNC taking into consideration efficacy, compliance and drug toxicity. Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review. Nine trials with a total of 737 patients were included in the final analysis. The pooled estimate of the nine studies showed that administration of weekly versus three-weekly cisplatin with concurrent radiotherapy had a 36% statistically significant reduction in the reported overall grade 3-4 toxicity (OR 0.64, 95% CI: 0.44, 0.90; P = 0.01); no significant heterogeneity was noted (P = 0.05, I2 = 49%). Only the studies of Tsan et al. and Ameri et al. did not report the patients who had a complete response. The pooled estimate of the patients showed a 33% statistically significant increase in terms of complete response in the weekly cisplatin (OR 0.67, 95% CI: 0.47, 0.95; P = 0.03) with no significant heterogeneity noted (P = 0.49, I2 = 0%). There were no statistically significant differences in terms of compliance rates and partial response rates for both groups. Weekly cisplatin administration with concurrent radiotherapy in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck was shown to have better complete response rates and lesser overall grade 3-4 toxicity when compared to patients who were given high-dose three-weekly cisplatin with concurrent radiotherapy. Both regimens had similar compliance rates.