Background: This study examined the microtubule inhibitor eribulin in recurrent/metastatic salivary gland cancers (RMSGCs), a disease where no therapeutic standard exists.
Methods: This phase II clinical trial treated patients with progressive recurrent/metastatic salivary gland cancers with eribulin 1.4 mg/m2 i.v. on days 1 and 8 of a 21-day cycle until disease progression/unacceptable toxicities. The primary endpoint was the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) version 1.1 objective response rate.
Results: Between May 2012 and August 2015, 29 patients were enrolled in this study. The median age was 63 years (range 34-75 years) and 20 of the subjects were men (69%). The most common histologies were adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC; n = 11) and adenocarcinoma (n = 4). Neutropenia was the most common toxicity (grade 3; n = 5; 17% and grade 4 n = 3; 10%). The objective responses were observed in 3 of 29 patients (10%), 20 of 29 patients (69%) demonstrated a decrement in tumor size, and disease control was observed in 26 of 29 patients (90%).
Conclusion: Although the objective responses to eribulin were uncommon, disease control was observed in the majority of patients.
Keywords: adenoid cystic carcinoma; chemotherapy; eribulin; recurrent/metastatic; salivary gland cancer.
© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.