Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy With Capecitabine Plus Cisplatin in Patients With Locally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Cancer: Case Series Study

Abstract

Purpose Capecitabine, an oral fluorouracil (5-FU) derivative, has replaced 5-FU in many chemotherapy regimens used in various GI tract cancers. The experience with capecitabine in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is limited. Patients and Methods We report on eight patients with locally advanced NPC treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy with capecitabine and cisplatin. Results All eight patients responded well to the chemotherapy combination and achieved complete remission after definitive chemoradiotherapy. No grade 3/4 toxicities were observed. Five patients experienced a relapse after 6, 8, 9, 12, and 17 months. Conclusion In the patients studied, capecitabine (in combination with cisplatin) was a safe and effective substitution for 5-FU for the neoadjuvant treatment of locally advanced NPC. Larger prospective clinical studies are required to confirm these results.