BACKGROUND:A standard treatment for fit, older patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is yet to be established. In the previous EXTREME trial, few older patients were included. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and tolerance of an adapted EXTREME regimen in fit, older patients with recurrent or metastatic HNSCC. METHODS:This single-arm, phase 2 study was done at 22 centres in France. Eligible patients were aged 70 years or older and assessed as not frail (fit) using the ELAN Geriatric Evaluation (EGE) and had recurrent or metastatic HNSCC in the first-line setting that was not eligible for local therapy (surgery or radiotherapy), and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-1. The adapted EXTREME regimen consisted of six cycles of fluorouracil 4000 mg/m2 on days 1-4, carboplatin with an area under the curve of 5 on day 1, and cetuximab on days 1, 8, and 15 (400 mg/m2 on cycle 1-day 1, and 250 mg/m2 subsequently), all intravenously, with cycles starting every 21 days. In patients with disease control after two to six cycles, cetuximab 500 mg/m2 was continued once every 2 weeks as maintenance therapy until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor was systematically administered and erythropoietin was recommended during chemotherapy. The study was based on the two-stage Bryant and Day design, combining efficacy and toxicity endpoints. The primary efficacy endpoint was objective response rate at week 12 after the start of treatment, assessed by central review (with an unacceptable rate of ≤15%). The primary toxicity endpoint was morbidity, defined as grade 4-5 adverse events, or cutaneous rash (grade ≥3) that required cetuximab to be discontinued, during the chemotherapy phase, or a decrease in functional autonomy (Activities of Daily Living score decrease ≥2 points from baseline) at 1 month after the end of chemotherapy (with an unacceptable morbidity rate of >40%). Analysis of the coprimary endpoints, and of safety in the chemotherapy phase, was based on the per-protocol population, defined as eligible patients who received at least one cycle of the adapted EXTREME regimen. Safety in the maintenance phase was assessed in all patients who received at least one dose of cetuximab as maintenance therapy. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01864772, and is completed. FINDINGS:Between Sept 27, 2013, and June 20, 2018, 85 patients were enrolled, of whom 78 were in the per-protocol population. 66 (85%) patients were male and 12 (15%) were female, and the median age was 75 years (IQR 72-79). The median number of chemotherapy cycles received was five (IQR 3-6). Objective response at week 12 was observed in 31 patients (40% [95% CI 30-51]) and morbidity events were observed in 24 patients (31% [22-42]). No fatal adverse events occurred. Four patients presented with a decrease in functional autonomy 1 month after the end of chemotherapy versus baseline. During chemotherapy, the most common grade 3-4 adverse events were haematological events (leukopenia [22 patients; 28%], neutropenia [20; 26%], thrombocytopenia [15; 19%], and anaemia [12; 15%]), oral mucositis (14; 18%), fatigue (11; 14%), rash acneiform (ten; 13%), and hypomagnesaemia (nine; 12%). Among 44 patients who received cetuximab during the maintenance phase, the most common grade 3-4 adverse events were hypomagnesaemia (six patients; 14%) and acneiform rash (six; 14%). INTERPRETATION:The study met its primary objectives on objective response and morbidity, and showed overall survival to be as good as in younger patients treated with standard regimens, indicating that the adapted EXTREME regimen could be used in older patients with recurrent or metastatic HNSCC who are deemed fit with use of a geriatric evaluation tool adapted to patients with head and neck cancer, such as the EGE. FUNDING:French programme PAIR-VADS 2011 (sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, the Fondation ARC, and the Ligue Contre le Cancer), Sandoz, GEFLUC, and GEMLUC. TRANSLATION:For the French translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

BACKGROUND:At present, there is no established standard treatment for frail older patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. We aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of cetuximab to those of methotrexate (the reference regimen) in this population. METHODS:This randomised, open-label, phase 3 trial was done at 20 hospitals in France. Patients aged 70 years or older, assessed as frail by the ELAN Geriatric Evaluation, with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in the first-line setting and with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0-2 were eligible for inclusion. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive cetuximab 500 mg/m2 intravenously every 2 weeks or methotrexate 40 mg/m2 intravenously every week, with minimisation by ECOG performance status, type of disease evolution, Charlson Comorbidity Index score, serum albumin concentration, and geriatrician consultation. To avoid deterministic minimisation and assure allocation concealment, patients were allocated with a probability of 0·80 to the treatment that most reduced the imbalance. Treatment was continued until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity, whichever occurred first. The primary endpoint was failure-free survival (defined as the time from randomisation to disease progression, death, discontinuation of treatment, or loss of 2 or more points on the Activities in Daily Living scale, whichever occurred first) and was analysed in the intention-to-treat population. 151 failures expected out of 164 patients were required to detect a hazard ratio (HR) of 0·625 with 0·05 alpha error, with 80% power. A futility interim analysis was planned when approximately 80 failures were observed, based on failure-free survival. Safety analyses included all patients who received at least one dose of the study drug. This study is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01884623) and was stopped for futility after the interim analysis. FINDINGS:Between Nov 7, 2013, and April 23, 2018, 82 patients were enrolled (41 to the cetuximab group and 41 to the methotrexate group); 60 (73%) were male, 37 (45%) were aged 80 years or older, 35 (43%) had an ECOG performance status of 2, and 36 (44%) had metastatic disease. Enrolment was stopped for futility at the interim analysis. At the final analysis, median follow-up was 43·3 months (IQR 30·8-52·1). At data cutoff, all 82 patients had failure; failure-free survival did not differ significantly between the groups (median 1·4 months [95% CI 1·0-2·1] in the cetuximab group vs 1·9 months [1·1-2·6] in the methotrexate group; adjusted HR 1·03 [95% CI 0·66-1·61], p=0·89). The frequency of patients who had grade 3 or worse adverse events was 63% (26 of 41) in the cetuximab group and 73% (30 of 41) in the methotrexate group. The most common grade 3-4 adverse events in the cetuximab group were fatigue (four [10%] of 41 patients), lung infection (four [10%]), and rash acneiform (four [10%]), and those in the methotrexate group were fatigue (nine [22%] of 41), increased gamma-glutamyltransferase (seven [17%]), natraemia disorder (four [10%]), anaemia (four [10%]), leukopenia (four [10%]), and neutropenia (four [10%]). The frequency of patients who had serious adverse events was 44% (18 of 41) in the cetuximab group and 39% (16 of 41) in the methotrexate group. Four patients presented with a fatal adverse event in the cetuximab group (sepsis, decreased level of consciousness, pulmonary oedema, and death of unknown cause) as did two patients in the methotrexate group (dyspnoea and death of unknown cause). INTERPRETATION:The study showed no improvement in failure-free survival with cetuximab versus methotrexate. Patients with an ECOG performance status of 2 did not benefit from these systemic therapies. New treatment options including immunotherapy should be explored in frail older patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, after an initial geriatric evaluation, such as the ELAN Geriatric Evaluation. FUNDING:French programme PAIR-VADS 2011 (sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, the Fondation ARC and the Ligue Contre le Cancer), GEMLUC, GEFLUC, and Merck Santé. TRANSLATION:For the French translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

6002 Background: After promising results from the GORTEC TPEx phase II trial, the role of taxane instead of 5FU in 1st-line R/M HNSCC chemotherapy (CT) remained to be confirmed by comparing TPEx to the reference EXTREME regimen. Methods: Randomized (1:1), open-label trial. Main inclusion criteria were R/M HNSCC not suitable for locoregional treatment, age 18-70 years, PS <2, creatinine clearance >60ml/min, prior cisplatin <300 mg/m². Reference EXTREME regimen (arm A: 6 cycles every 3 weeks (Q3W) of 5FU–cisplatin-cetuximab (cetux) followed by weekly cetux maintenance) was compared to TPEx regimen (arm B: 4 cycles Q3W of docetaxel 75mg/m²–cisplatin 75mg/m²- cetux 250mg/m² with mandatory G-CSF support followed by every 2W cetux 500mg/m² maintenance). The primary endpoint was Overall Survival (OS). To detect a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.72 (median OS increase from 10.1 to 14.0 months (mo) with 88% power, 2-sided significance level of 0.05, 374 deaths were required. 540 patients (pts) were planned to enroll. Results: 539 pts were enrolled in 37 mo. Median age was 60 years, 93% were smokers, 40% had oropharyngeal tumor (p16 or HPV DNA was done in 85%, positive in 28%). In arm A, 44% of pts received all CT cycles vs 72% in arm B. Delays in administration were more frequent in arm A (27% vs 10%). Cisplatin was more frequently switched to carboplatin in arm A (34% vs 9%). Toxicity was lower in arm B: 34% pts had grade ≥4 adverse events during CT in arm B vs 50% in arm A (p<0.001). Less pts in arm A started maintenance than in arm B (53% vs 73%). At time of analysis, the median follow-up duration was 30 mo and 406 pts had died. OS was not significantly different between arms: HR=0.87 (95%CI: 0.71-1.05), p=0.15. Median OS was 13.4 mo in arm A vs 14.5 in arm B. 2-year OS rate was 21.0% in arm A vs 28.6% in arm B. Conclusions: This large randomized trial confirmed the encouraging survival results of the TPEx regimen observed in the first phase II. OS in both arms was higher than observed in previous randomized CT or immunotherapy combination trials. Despite lack of significant OS increase, taxane based TPEx regimen appears to be a new option in 1st line R/M HNSCC, with a shorter time on CT and significantly lower toxicity than the EXTREME regimen. Clinical trial information: NCT02268695.

Background The main challenges in patients (pts) > = 70y are to cope with the treatment benefit/risk ratio and tumor related symptoms; no standard systemic treatment has been validated. With GERICO-GORTEC groups, we developed a large prospective clinical program named ELAN to improve the management of elderly HNSCC using an adapted geriatric evaluation feasible in daily practice and to set new standards of care for these pts. We report the results of ELAN FIT and UNFIT trials dedicated to elderly R/M HNSCC pts. Table: 1110O . ELAN-FIT trial ELAN-UNFIT trial N = 82 Carbo-5FU-cetux (n = 78) CX arm (n = 41) MTX arm (n = 41) Pts PS ECOG 0-1 (n = 47) (2 arms together) Pts PS ECOG 2 (n = 35) (2 arms together) Adverse events > =grade 4 24% 27% 22% 13% 40% Objective response rate At W12: 38% (central review) 12% 15% 13% 14% OS median (months) 14.7 (95%CI=11.0-18.2) 4.6 (95%CI=2.4-7.3) 4.6 (95%CI=2.3-7.7) 7.3 (95%CI=4.6-9.6) 2.1 (95%CI=1.5-3.2) 1-year OS rate 58% (95%CI=46%-68%) 22.5% (95% CI=12.3%-37.5%) 14.6% (95% CI=6.9%-28.4%) 27.7% (95% CI=16.9%-41.8%) 5.9% (95% CI=1.6%-19.1%) PFS median (months) 7.1 (95%CI=5.5-8.2) 2.4 (95%CI=1.5-3.8) 2.8 (95%CI=1.6-4.2) 3.8 (95%CI=2.6-5.5) 1.5 (95%CI=1.2-2.3) 1-year PFS rate 24.5% (95%CI=15.5%-34.6%) 7.5% (95% CI=2.6%-19.9%) 7.3% (95% CI=2.5%-19.4%) 12.8% (95% CI=6.0%-25.2%) 0% Methods To be included in one of the 2 trials, 1st line R/M SCCHN pts > = 70y must first be enrolled in ELAN-ONCOVAL study where they were classified as fit or unfit, using the ELAN geriatric evaluation (EGE). Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment was optional. Fit pts were proposed to be enrolled in the 2-stage phase II ELAN-FIT trial, which evaluated the cetuximab-carboplatin-5FU (EXTREME) combination in terms of efficacy (objective response at 12 weeks) and safety assessed by lack of grade > =4 toxicity and lack of loss of independence. Unfit pts were proposed to be enrolled in the randomized phase III ELAN-UNFIT trial, that compared 2 monotherapies, cetuximab (Cx) 500 mg/m² every 2 weeks versus weekly methotrexate (MTX) 40 mg/m² in terms of failure free survival (failures are progression, treatment stop, loss > = 2 points in Activities in Daily Living scale or death). Results 160 pts were enrolled in the trials. The UNFIT trial was stopped after futility analysis. Main results are shown in the table. Conclusions Fit elderly pts as selected using EGE, benefited from carboplatin based EXTREME regimen, with promising overall survival (OS), which compares favourably with that of younger pts. For unfit elderly pts, there was no efficacy difference of Cx and MTX. PS ECOG 2 pts did not benefit from systemic treatment. New therapeutic options should be explored for ECOG 0-1 unfit elderly pts. Clinical trial identification ELAN-UNFIT: NCT01884623 ELAN-FIT: NCT01864772. Legal entity responsible for the study Gustave Roussy and GORTEC. Funding INCA PAIR, Merck, Sandoz, GEMLUC-GEFLUC. Disclosure J. Guigay: Advisory / Consultancy: AstraZeneca; Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution), Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: BMS; Advisory / Consultancy: Innate Pharma; Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution), Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Merck. C. Even: Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy, Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: BMS; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy, Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Merck; Advisory / Consultancy, Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: MSD; Advisory / Consultancy: Innate Pharma. L. Geoffrois: Honoraria (self), Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: BMS; Honoraria (self), Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: MSD; Honoraria (self): Ipsen; Honoraria (self): Novartis; Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Merck Serono. C. Sire: Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: Merck. J. Fayette: Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (institution), Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: BMS; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy, Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: MSD; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy, Research grant / Funding (self), Travel / Accommodation / Expenses: AstraZeneca; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy: Merck; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy: Innate; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy: Biogen. F. Peyrade: Advisory / Consultancy: MSD; Advisory / Consultancy: Merck. P. Debourdeau: Non-remunerated activity/ies: Pfizer; Honoraria (self): Leo Pharma; Honoraria (self): Bayer. Y. Pointreau: Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy: BMS; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy: Merck; Honoraria (self), Advisory / Consultancy: MSD. All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

Opinion statementFor most of patients with a recurrent/metastatic (R/M) head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), the treatment remains palliative: The main objective is to reduce the symptoms related to the locoregional relapse, prolong life while maintaining quality of life, which is a big challenge. The systemic treatment needs to be adapted to the performance status, comorbidities, and sequelae of patients. For fit patients, the combination of platinum-based chemotherapy and cetuximab (EXTREME) is the standard of care in first-line treatment since 2008, as no other targeted therapy has been approved in this setting until now. The replacement of 5-FU with a taxane (docetaxel) in the EXTREME regimen has been explored in the large randomized international study TPExtreme which results are awaited in a few months. Depending on the study results on survival, response rate, and tolerance, the TPEx regimen may become a treatment option for patients with R/M HNSCC. Unfit patients are usually treated with platinum-free combinations or with the monotherapies which are recommended in second-line setting (methotrexate, taxanes, cetuximab). However, the irruption of new immunotherapies (e.g., checkpoint inhibitors (CPI)) is changing the guidelines. The tolerance of anti-PD-1 CPI is better than that of chemotherapy, and they seem to be a good option for unfit patients. Anti-PD-1 nivolumab and pembrolizumab are now approved for platinum refractory patients, providing prolonged survival in the case of response, and improvement in quality of life. New options arise in first-line setting with pembrolizumab alone or combined with chemotherapy. Patients with a high PD-L1 biomarker level seem to benefit more from immunotherapy. Other situations (e.g., PD-L1-low, PD-L1-negative, high tumor burden) may more likely to benefit from other combinations, such as cetuximab plus chemotherapy, to avoid local failures and life-threatening fast progression. In terms of perspectives, chemo-free and CPI-free approaches, using other immune oncology agents, should be the next steps.

Purpose of review Elderly head and neck cancer (HNC) patients are very rarely enrolled in clinical trials, and even more so in dedicated trials in curative or palliative setting. As a result, no standards of treatment exist for this population and thus, adaptation of standard treatments is commonly used. Recent findings The choice between a monotherapy and a platinum–cetuximab combination is based on the performance status, which is not suitable and/or sufficient to evaluate the patient ability to receive a systemic treatment combined or not with radiotherapy. The evaluation of functional age using geriatric assessment is recommended. However, access to comprehensive geriatric assessment is limited in many centers, and the choice of the type of treatment is often not based on objective and reproducible criteria. As a result, fragile elderly HNC patients may be overtreated with a risk of increased toxicity and fit patients proposed for suboptimal treatment with a risk of failure of tumor control. Summary It is therefore crucial to develop and evaluate customized treatments by enrolling elderly HNC patients in dedicated therapeutics trials, such as the ELAN (Elderly Head and Neck Cancer) studies or new approaches involving promising immunotherapies. To administer the most suitable therapy, a simple and reproducible geriatric assessment could efficiently guide practitioners.

Median survival for recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) patients is about 10 months after first-line best systemic treatment. We aimed to assess current approaches of oligometastatic HNSCC patients by the analysis of current concept and published data (1995-2017) in this population. Five-year survival rates are over 20% in selected patients who undergo metastasis-directed therapy by either surgery or stereotactic irradiation. Human papillomavirus(+) HNSCC patients have more disseminated metastases but respond more favorably and also benefit from ablative treatments. Treatments of oligometastases are expanding rapidly. Unmet needs include revised imaging follow-up strategies to detect metastases earlier, identification of predictive noninvasive biomarkers for treatment guidance, assessment and corrections of biases in current studies and randomized clinical trials.

Background: Dysphagia is a serious sequel of head and neck cancer (HNC) and its treatment. This dysfunction is frequent and likely underreported by clinical exam. It seems necessary to assess its global burden during the pre, per and post treatment periods (up to 18 months), regardless of the treatment received. Methods: This was a prospective cohort study assessing the rate of dysphagia in first-time treated HNC patients, using the deglutition handicap index questionnaire (DHI) and the clinician reporting. Time to occurrence, severity and length of the dysfunction were recorded. The benefit of an evaluation by the patient himself was investigated. Results: Of 134 evaluable patients: 22 were treated by surgery alone (16.4%), 16 by radiotherapy (RT) alone (11.9%), 3 by chemotherapy (CT) alone (2.2%), 28 by RTCT (20.9%), 31 by induction chemotherapy followed by RTCT (23.1%), 11 by surgery+RT (8.2%) and 23 by surgery+RTCT (17.2%). Patients completed 87.9% of the expected DHI. The dysphagia frequency reported was 92.2% by patient-reporting and 80.9% by clinicians-reporting, whatever the intensity. Self-perceived moderate to severe dysphagia was reported in 69.8% of patients. Conclusions: Given the strong impact of dysphagia on the quality of life and prognosis of HNC patients, it appears essential to perform screening and systematic monitoring. Using a simple and well accepted questionnaire, such as DHI, which is also well correlated with clinical evaluation, we demonstrated a significant frequency of dysphagia. The use of real-time patient-reported outcomes for its early detection would be an asset, particularly during long-term follow-up. Registered under ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier no. NCT03068559.

To evaluate the clinical outcomes of total pharyngolaryngectomy (TPL) in the elderly and to analyze the impact of age on postoperative complications and oncologic and functional outcomes.We conducted a retrospective review of the medical records of all patients who underwent TPL for a laryngeal or hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, between 2000 and 2015. The impact of advanced age (>70 years) on clinical outcomes was assessed in univariate and multivariate analyses.A total of 245 patients (mean age = 66.4 years) were enrolled in this study including 91 (37%) patients aged over 70 years. In patients aged over 70 years, local and general complication rates were 36% and 10%, respectively. Five-year overall, cause-specific and recurrence-free survival rates were 36%, 52% and 31%, respectively. Satisfactory swallowing (swallowing score ≥ 1; i.e. no enteral feeding) and speech (speech score ≥ 1; i.e. intelligible speech) functions were recovered by 94% and 70% of elderly patients. In multivariate analysis, older age had no significant impact on postoperative complications, oncologic outcomes and swallowing function. Compared to younger patients, elderly patients achieved significantly lower speech scores (p = 0.05).TPL is associated with favorable clinical outcomes in patients aged over 70 years and can therefore be considered a reliable therapeutic option. However, compared to younger patients, a lower level of recovery regarding speech function is expected in the elderly, and particular attention should be paid to the postoperative speech rehabilitation program in this population of patients.

Background: Cetuximab, an anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody in combination with platinum and 5FU is the standard of care in first-line treatment of patients with recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), with an expected median outcome of 10 months. For this population, development of efficacious and safer therapies is still needed.Case report: A 62-year-old male with a first recurrence of human papillomavirus positive stage IVA (T3N2bM0) adenocarcinoma of the glossotonsillar sulcus not amenable to locoregional curative treatment was offered chemotherapy as part of the TPEx clinical trial. He was treated by cetuximab (loading dose 400 mg/m(2) on day 1 cycle 1, then 250 mg/m(2) weekly), and chemotherapy (cisplatin 75 mg/m(2) and docetaxel 75 mg/m(2), on day 1). Cycles were repeated every 21 days for 4 cycles (TPEx regimen) with systematic granulocyte colony-stimulating factor support at each cycle. Bi-monthly maintenance cetuximab 500 mg/m(2) was then administered. The patient showed a clinical complete response according to RECIST 1.1 criteria after 5 months maintenance, with progression-free survival of 25 months. Relapses that followed were treated with stereotactic irradiation, radiofrequency ablation, cetuximab and paclitaxel. The patient is alive eleven years after cancer diagnosis and remains controlled for his disease, with a cumulative period of 59 months of cetuximab administration (equivalence of 121 injections).Conclusion: This case report demonstrated that TPEx regimen, by synergistic interaction between taxanes and cetuximab, followed by bimonthly cetuximab maintenance may lead to patient complete remission within the first year of treatment. Furthermore, prolonged intermittent treatment with cetuximab seems to participate in the improved survival associated with preserved quality of life. Key favorable prognostic factors may be moderate tumor differentiation, oropharyngeal location, HPV p16 positive tumor status. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Background: Carcinomas of sinuses and salivary glands are rare and heterogeneous in terms of anatomical sites and histology subtypes. For these reasons and because of the absence of prospective study results, their treatment is still largely extrapolated from data of frequent carcinomas of the upper digestive tract. Treatment is based on surgery and radiotherapy (proof level grade C). Despite the advances, the 5-year overall survival does not exceed 65%, mainly due to locoregional recurrence. In this context, chemotherapy administered concomitantly with radiotherapy could increase the efficacy of locoregional treatment by radiosensitization, regardless of the histology. Trial design: The GORTEC launched a multicenter, phase III randomized, open-label, study evaluating in case of high-risk of locoregional relapse, the impact of the addition after surgery of cisplatin 100 mg/m2 (every 3 weeks; 3 cycles) to radiotherapy. The population is defined as patients with radioresistant histologies (e.g. cystic adenoids carcinomas) or patients with unfavorable histoprognostic critera (e.g. incomplete resection, T4 tumor, malignant lymph node(s) with capsular rupture, presence of emboli, …). The primary endpoint is the progression free survival. Secondary outcomes are: overall survival, quality of life, time to progression (locoregional and distant) and toxicities. Two hundred and sixty patients will be enrolled in 5 years. Eligible patients are adults, with a performance status ≤ 2 and an adequate hematological and renal function for cisplatin treatment. Recruitment is ongoing in France. The study comprises a quality insurance program in radiotherapy and surgery. Coordinating investigators are Drs Ferrand and Thariat. Clinical trial identification: NCT02998385. Legal entity responsible for the study: GORTEC (Groupe Oncologie Radiothérapie Tête et Cou) Funding: GORTEC Disclosure: All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.

to estimate deviations from stereotactic protocol in a randomized phase II trial assessing the possibility to avoid chemotherapy at diagnosis of oligometastatic squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck and to perform stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) only owing to hypofractionation, diversity and novelty of extracranial SBRT practice among centers, a benchmark case was submitted to all participating centers as a prerequisite for patient accrual. DICOMRT file exchange was performed on the secured GORTEC imaging platform Of 13 French centers completing QA (tertiary care hospitals 7, private clinics 3, others 3; CyberKnife 4, Truebeam 3, Novalis TX 2, linear accelerators 3, Tomotherapy 1), 11 had started intracranial SBRT and 12 extracranial SBRT after 2010. The benchmark case consisted of two 1.5 cm and 0.8cm metastases (1cm distant from each other) nodule in left superior lung lobe 2cm from mediastinal structures. Nine centers prescribed 5 fractions as recommended per protocol for central lesions. Fiducials were required by 2 centers. CT slices were 1-3mm thick 4DCT was available in 8 centers. Two arcs or 5-201 beams (median 10, non-coplanar beams in CyberKnife centers only). Type B dose calculation algorithm was used in 7 centers. Prescription isodose was 70-95% (median 80). GTV to CTV margins were 0-5mm (median 0). CTV to PTV margins were 1-5mm (median 3). Maximal PTV diameter was 25-50mm (median 40). Daily online IGRT was systematically used with 2D or 3D imaging in 5 and 7 cases. Constraints to organs at risk (OAR) were always fulfilled. Conformality and homogeneity indexes varied between 1.15-1.47 (median 1.19) and 1.11-1.35 (median 1.25) respectively, R50 and D2 between 1.00-12.50 (median 6.12) and 13.9-33.4 (median 28.35), respectively. Major deviation was noted in 3 centers (GTV delineation, CTV-PTV margins / inappropriate respiratory management, dose prescription) and corrected. Minor deviations were noted in 3 cases (OAR not delineated, minor deviation in dose prescription/delivery). QA prior to patient accrual shows a variety of SBRT techniques. It also reveals major deviations in a few centers but may result in better compliance with protocol guidelines, and aims at standardizing SBRT practice. QA will also be processed for all real cases within 6 months of completion of SBRT.

Objective > Most cancer patients require a totally-implanted central venous access device (TIVAD) for their treatment. This was a prospective, multicenter, open study to: (i) develop and validate a French-language questionnaire dubbed QASICC (Questionnaire for Acceptance of and Satisfaction with Implanted Central Venous Catheter) assessing patient's satisfaction with and acceptance of their TIVAD; (ii) develop a mean score of patient's acceptance and satisfaction; (iii) look for correlation between QASICC score and TIVAD patient/tumor pathology/device characteristics.Methods > From 2011 November to 2012 December, the first version of the QASICC questionnaire that included 27 questions assessing seven dimensions was re-tested among 998 cancer patients in eleven French cancer hospitals (eight cancer research institutes and three university/general hospitals). The goal was: (i) to reduce the questionnaire item and dimension number (pertinency, saturation effect, item correlation); (ii) to assess its psychometric properties, demonstrate its validity and independency compared to (EORTC) QLQC30; (iii) to correlate clinical and pathological patient's/tumor's/TIVAD's parameters with the QASICC questionnaire score (the higher the overall score, the greater the acceptance and satisfaction). The questionnaire was administered to the patient 30 days (+/- 15 days) after TIVAD's implantation.Results > Among 998 questionnaires given to cancer patients, 658 were analyzed and 464 were fully assessed as there Was no missing data. Time to fill-in the questionnaire was five minutes in 90% patients. Final QASICC tool included twenty-two questions assessing four homogeneous dimensions (65% < Cronbach coefficient < 85%): (i) impact on daily activities and professional activities; (ii) esthetics and privacy; (iii) pain, contribution to the comfort of the treatment; (iv) local discomfort. Respective assessment scores were 23.6%, 32.9%, 20.4% and 18.0%. Overall satisfaction score was 75.8%; global assessment score was 76.2%. These scores were significantly linked to patient's gender, anesthesia type, TIVAD's implantation side, patient's age and tumor type.Conclusions > This second and final methodological and statistical validation of this auto-questionnaire QASICC allows us to propose it as a dedicated questionnaire to TIVAD's cancer patients by using a score assessing acceptance and satisfaction regarding their device.

Rationale: Most cancer patients require a totally-implanted Central Venous Catheter (CVC) for their treatment. We develop and validate a French-language questionnaire dubbed QASICC (Questionnaire for Acceptance of and Satisfaction with Implanted Central Venous Catheter) assessing patient satisfaction with and acceptance of their CVC. Method: The construction and first validation of the questionnaire was made using validated methodology consisting in four phases. Phase 1 aimed at collecting a comprehensive list of relevant items. Phase 2 consisted in converting items into questions followed by a first item selection procedure. Phase 3 tested the acceptance of the provisional module to a small number of patients. Phase 4 involved a first validation on patients to determine its psychometric characteristics. Results: Responses to the questionnaire were collected from 215 patients. The final tool included 27 questions assessing seven dimensions: pain, contribution to the comfort of the treatment, esthetics and privacy, impact on professional activities, social and sports, impact on daily activities, local discomfort and overall satisfaction.Conclusions: This first statistical validation seems very promising and allows us to confirm the structure and the psychometric properties of the tool. Further validation studies are required on standard and specific populations in order to confirm these first results.

We investigated the efficacy and safety of oral Uracil/tegafur (UFT) with leucovorin and mitomycin C (MMC) as third-line treatment for patients with extensively pretreated metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). This was a multicenter, prospective phase II study. Patients received MMC 7 mg/m² on day 1 and UFT 300 mg/m² with leucovorin 90 mg, both divided into three daily doses, on days 1-28 every 5 weeks. All patients had failed prior treatment with irinotecan, oxaliplatin, fluoropyrimidine, bevacizumab, and cetuximab. The primary endpoint was tumor control rate evaluated after 2 cycles. Twenty-one patients were included: median age was 66 years (41.1-87.8 years). Tumor control rate was observed in 26.7% of the 15 patients evaluable for response. Median overall survival was 6.4 months. Grade 3 adverse events were asthenia, anorexia, and vomiting. In patients with mCRC who have progressed after as many as two prior therapies, the combination of UFT/leucovorin and MMC is safe and may produce a short stabilization of disease in approximately 25% of patients.