Survival and toxicity of weekly cisplatin chemoradiotherapy versus three-weekly cisplatin chemoradiotherapy for head and neck cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis endorsed by the Italian Association of Radiotherapy and Clinical Oncology (AIRO)

Purpose: To evaluate efficacy and toxicity of weekly cisplatin chemoradiotherapy versus three-weekly cisplatin chemoradiotherapy and identify differences in clinical outcomes and severe toxicity rate. Methods: PICOS/PRISMA methods were used to identify studies on PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane Library, 2005–2019. Results: Six randomized clinical trials (554 patients) were identified. Weekly cisplatin was not associated with significant overall survival (HR 1.13, 95 % CI 0.84–1.51) and progression-free survival (HR 1.23, 95 %CI 0.91–1.65) improvement compared with three-weekly regimen. Severe acute toxicity (RR 0.95), treatment compliance to chemotherapy (RR 1.67) and radiotherapy (RR 0.61) were similar between regimens. Conclusion: Weekly cisplatin is not associated with better clinical outcomes compared to three-weekly cisplatin. Three-weekly cisplatin chemoradiotherapy should be considered the standard approach in the management of locally advanced head and neck cancer. Methodologically robust RCTs designs are needed to improve the quality of evidence. Differences on long-term toxicity and cost-effectiveness remain to be tested.