Integrating Metronomic Therapy With Standard Chemotherapy in Advanced Unresectable Head and Neck Cancer: A Randomized Trial Addressing Global Cancer Care Equity (METRO PLUS).

PURPOSE: Advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) carries a poor prognosis, particularly in resource-limited settings with restricted access to targeted or immune therapies. We evaluated whether adding triple oral metronomic chemotherapy (OMCT; erlotinib, celecoxib, methotrexate) to paclitaxel-carboplatin (PC) improves overall survival (OS) in patients with platinum-sensitive, unresectable advanced HNSCC. This was a single-center, investigator-initiated, prospective, randomized, open-label, phase III superiority trial conducted at a tertiary cancer center in North India. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 238 adults with histologically confirmed, unresectable advanced HNSCC eligible for palliative platinum-based chemotherapy were randomly assigned 1:1 after stratification by tumor site and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status. Arm A received PC plus OMCT; Arm B received PC alone. The primary end point was OS. Secondary end points included progression-free survival (PFS), quality of life (QoL; European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire C30 and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Head & Neck), and safety. RESULTS: < .001). QoL analyses demonstrated clinically meaningful preservation across multiple domains in the PC + OMCT arm. Grade ≥3 toxicities did not increase with the addition of OMCT. CONCLUSION: In platinum-sensitive advanced HNSCC, the addition of triple OMCT to PC significantly improved OS and PFS with acceptable toxicity. PC + OMCT represents a feasible and cost-conscious first-line option in resource-constrained settings.