Combining cetuximab with chemoradiotherapy in patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma: A propensity score analysis

Although radical radiotherapy (RT) is potentially curative for patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LRANPC), treating patients with LRANPC remains a challenge [1]. Since the introduction of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), excellent locoregional control has been reported by single institutions and in multi-institutional settings, but distant metastasis has remained the main cause of treatment failure [2–5]. Several randomized trials and meta-analyses have demonstrated a survival advantage with the use of concurrent cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy, but approximately 30% of patients who receive this regimen experience treatment failure (especially if they develop distant metastasis) and ultimately succumb to their disease [6,7].

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