Maintenance Intervention Improves Survival in Patients With Metastatic Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Who Benefit From First-Line Treatment: A Prospective Multicenter Randomized Controlled Clinical Study

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S) The progression-free survival (PFS) of metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma after first-line chemotherapy is not ideal, and the role of drug maintenance intervention in improving survival outcomes remains controversial. To investigate the safety and effect of Tegafur(S1) maintenance intervention in patients with metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma who benefit from the first-line treatment in a multicenter randomized controlled study, and to identify the related biological prognostic factors and guide the individualized treatment choice. MATERIALS/METHODS Patients with metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma in the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University and other cancer centers who met the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into maintenance therapy group: S1 maintenance therapy until disease progression or intolerance; Observation group: follow-up to disease progression. PFS, overall survival (OS) and adverse reactions of S1 maintenance therapy were compared between the two groups. The correlation between EBV-DNA, human serum amyloid A (SAA) and prognosis was evaluated. RESULTS Follow-up was conducted to May 2020, with a median follow-up of 19.8 months (6.1-51.3 months), 183 cases were evaluable (88 cases in S1 maintenance treatment group, 95 cases in observation group). Compared with the observation group, the S1 maintenance treatment group significantly increased patients' median PFS (16.2 months vs. 8.7 months, P < 0.001) and median OS (32.1 months vs. 18.2 months, P < 0.001). Reduced the risk of poor prognosis for PFS and OS (PFS: HR 0.305, 95% CI 0.211-0.441, < 0.001; OS: HR 0.363, 95% CI 0.238-0.553, P < 0.001). In the maintenance treatment group, the median S1 treatment lasted for 14 courses (4-58 courses), and the main adverse reactions were grade 1 skin pigmentation, oral mucositis, hand-foot syndrome, nausea, etc. No grade 4 toxic reaction occurred, and it was well tolerated. Compared with observation patients with negative EBV-DNA, observation patients with positive EBV-DNA had a higher risk of poor prognosis for PFS (HR 1.764, 95% CI 1.078-2.887, P = 0.024). The risk of poor prognosis in patients with positive EBV-NDA was significantly reduced by 61.1% (< 0.001) for PFS and 65.5% (P = 0.001) for OS (P = 0.001). Compared with the observation group with stable SAA expression, S1 maintenance therapy significantly improved the prognosis of patients. Patients with continuous decline in SAA had a 61.9% lower risk of poor prognosis in PFS (P < 0.001) and a 60.2% lower risk of poor prognosis in OS (P = 0.007). CONCLUSION For patients with metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma who benefit from first-line treatment, maintenance therapy of S1 can significantly improve the survival prognosis and is well tolerated. Patients with positive EBV-DNA and continuous decline in SAA may benefit more from maintenance intervention.