Table 1 |
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|
Efficacy and toxicity of treatment |
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| Treatment cycle |
Effect of treatment on signs and symptoms |
Adverse events |
|
|
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| Pre-treatment |
Pain 9/10* Facial mass 89 mm |
N/A |
| 1 |
Pain reduction to 2/10* after 7 days, with discontinuation of oral morphine after
4 days Reduction of facial mass to 70 mm |
Grade 2 nausea |
| 2 |
Labial and periorbital facial oedema reduced Reduction of facial mass to 40 mm |
Grade 2 nausea Grade 2 neutropenia Next treatment cycle delayed by one week |
| 3 |
Pain resolved (0/10)* and pain relief discontinued Facial oedema resolved CT scan: partial tumour remission, with marked reduction of retromandibular mass |
Grade 2 anaemia |
| 4 |
No pain relief requirement |
Grade 2 anorexia Grade 2 vomiting Grade 2 asthenia Grade 2 mucositis Grade 3 anaemia (requiring red cell transfusion) Grade 1 acne-like rash (facial) |
| Cetuximab maintenance (7 continuous months of treatment) |
No pain relief requirement |
Grade 2 mucositis Grade 2 acne-like rash (painful lesions on the scalp) Cetuximab discontinued for 3 weeks |
|
|
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|
*Pain was assessed using a visual pain scale with a range from 0 to 10: the higher the score, the more severe the pain. CT = computed tomography. |
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|
Mesía et al. Head & Neck Oncology 2010 2:3 doi:10.1186/1758-3284-2-3 |
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