Background: In this study, we retrospectively evaluated a series of metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (mNPC) patients who received oral maintenance chemotherapy using S-1/capecitabine after systemic chemotherapy and local radiation therapy, and aimed to explore potential efficient treatment strategies for this subset of patients.
Patients and Methods: Thirty-seven patients with mNPC (19 newly diagnosed metastatic patients and 18 metastatic cases after definitive chemoradiotherapy) who received the treatment strategies mentioned above were analyzed.
Results: After a median follow-up time of 37 months, the 3-year progression-free survival and overall survival (OS) rates were 47.6% and 87.7%, respectively. The median time to progression was 27.6 months, while the median OS was not reached at time of last follow-up. The most common acute adverse events were hematological and gastrointestinal toxicity, and all were tolerable and curable.
Conclusion: Oral maintenance chemotherapy using S-1/capecitabine in mNPC patients after systemic chemotherapy could yield a superb outcome. Further multicenter prospective clinical trials are warranted.
Keywords: metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma, maintenance chemotherapy, systemic chemotherapy, S-1, capecitabine