Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
Recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (R/M-HNSCC) is a difficult-to-treat cancer. Indian patients with R/M-HNSCC are very different from Western patients as they have oral primaries, tobacco-driven aetiology, and high tumour burden. Historically, platinum-based chemotherapy has been the most used and guideline-recommended treatment for R/M-HNSCC in India. However, platinum-based chemotherapy does not demonstrate a median overall survival beyond nine months and results in high haematological toxicity. Targeted therapies such as cetuximab-based regimens and immunotherapy have recently been added to Indian R/M-HNSCC guidelines. Immunotherapy is not feasible in the Indian setting due to a unique patient population with highly symptomatic disease and high tumour burden. Immunotherapy is also costly and not affordable to several patients in India. On the other hand, cetuximab is effective in Indian R/M-HNSCC patients with high tumour burden and highly symptomatic disease, and Indian guidelines recommend adding cetuximab to platinum-based regimens in R/M-HNSCC to improve survival. Though cetuximab is an expensive drug, the availability of cetuximab biosimilar in India has significantly improved the affordability of cetuximab-based regimens in Indian patients with R/M HNSCC. This expert opinion from India drafted ten consensus statements highlighting the various clinical settings where cetuximab-based regimens can benefit Indian R/M HNSCC patients.
Chandrakanth et al. (Mon,) studied this question.