Abstract:

Objective To investigate the difference between the efficacy of Nimotuzumab combined with TPF chemotherapy and TPF chemotherapy alone in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, and to briefly discuss the molecular mechanism of interaction between Nimotuzumaband TPF chemotherapy. Methods This study retrospectively collected 62 patients with stage Ⅲ-ⅣA head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in the Stomatological Hospital of Jiangsu Province from 2016 to 2021. Everyone engaged accepted TPF chemotherapy. Thirty patients were given 300 mg dose of Nimotuzumab before the TPF therapy, classified as group A. The rest 32 patients were classified as group B. Tissue wax blocks before and after surgery of patients receiving induction chemotherapy in group B were collected for immunohistochemical staining to observe the expression of EGFR. Results After chemotherapy, the response rate of tumor in group A was 78%, and that in group B was 43%. There was statistically significant difference between the two groups(P<0.05). The five-year overall survival rate of group A and group B was 72.2% and 36.6%, respectively, with statistically significant difference(P<0.05). The progression-free survival rates of group A and group B were 63.8% and 36.2%, respectively. The difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Immunohistochemical staining showed that the expression of EGFR in group A decreased more significantly than that in group B or Nimotuzumab alone. Conclusion In patients with Ⅲ-ⅣA squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, Nimutuzumab combined with TPF chemotherapy provides patients with better efficacy compared with TPF chemotherapy alone. There is probably a synergistic effect between Nimutuzumab and TPF chemotherapy.

Key words: Nimotuzumab, TPF chemotherapy, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, chemotherapeutic efficacy, epidermal growth factor receptor