A prospective study on neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy plus nimotuzumab followed by surgery for patients with advanced cervical cancer

e17000 Background: This study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy plus nimotuzumab followed by surgery for advanced cervical cancer. Methods: The inclusion criteria of this study were as follows: age: 18-75 years old; ECOG 0-1; FIGO stages IB2-IIIB; not eligible for surgery. IMRT with a total dose of 50-54 Gy was delivered to the tumor and the whole uterus, and 45-48.6 Gy to the high-risk regions. Weekly cisplatin or nedaplatin was administered concurrently with IMRT. Weekly nimotuzumab was given for 6 cycles. Patients were then assessed for clinical tumor response and operability. For those who were candidates for surgery, radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection were performed 5-6 weeks after the completion of neoadjuvant therapy. Results: Twenty-eight patients were enrolled. Stage distributions were as follows: IB2, 3 pts; IIA, 5 pts; IIB, 16 pts; IIIA, 2 pts; IIIB, 2 pts. Twenty six (92.8%) patients completed ≥ 5 cycles of chemotherapy, and all completed ≥5 cycles of nimotuzumab. Complete clinical response and partial response were found in 8 patients (28.5%) and 20 patients (71.5%), respectively. Four patients were not eligible for surgery and 2 candidates refused surgery. They were not included in this analysis. Radical surgery was performed for the remaining 22 patients. Among them, 8 (36.4%) had complete pathology response, 9 (40.9%) presented with persistent atypical cells or cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, and 5 (22.7%) presented with macroscopic and/or microscopic residual disease. Median follow-up was 22 months (range, 5-39 months). The 2-year locoregional control rate, progression-free survival rate, distant metastasis-free survival rate, and overall survival rate were 95.0%, 85.2%, 84.0%, and 90.0%, respectively. Acute toxicity profiles were mainly manifested as marrow suppression, nausea, diarrhea, and loss of appetite. They were mild in general and easily manageable. Chronic toxicities were mainly limited to grade 1. No severe late toxicities were observed Conclusions: This treatment approach is highly effective and safe in advanced cervical cancer. Further studies are warranted to confirm the findings. Clinical trial information: NCT01938105.