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"Radiotherapy plus cetuximab for squamous-cell
carcinoma of the head and neck," by James A. Bonner and 16 others,
New England Journal of Medicine, 354(6): 567-78, 9 February 2006.
[Authors' affiliations: 10 institutions
worldwide]
Abstract: "BACKGROUND: We
conducted a multinational, randomized study to compare radiotherapy alone
with radiotherapy plus cetuximab, a monoclonal antibody against the
epidermal growth factor receptor, in the treatment of locoregionally
advanced squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck. METHODS:
Patients with locoregionally advanced head and neck cancer were randomly
assigned to treatment with high-dose radiotherapy alone (213 patients) or
high-dose radiotherapy plus weekly cetuximab (211 patients) at an initial
dose of 400 mg per square meter of body-surface area, followed by 250 mg per
square meter weekly for the duration of radiotherapy. The primary end point
was the duration of control of locoregional disease; secondary end points
were overall survival, progression-free survival, the response rate, and
safety. RESULTS: The median duration of locoregional control was 24.4
months among patients treated with cetuximab plus radiotherapy and 14.9
months among those given radiotherapy alone (hazard ratio for locoregional
progression or death, 0.68; P=0.005). With a median follow-up of 54.0
months, the median duration of overall survival was 49.0 months among
patients treated with combined therapy and 29.3 months among those treated
with radiotherapy alone (hazard ratio for death, 0.74; P=0.03). Radiotherapy
plus cetuximab significantly prolonged progression-free survival (hazard
ratio for disease progression or death, 0.70; P=0.006). With the exception
of acneiform rash and infusion reactions, the incidence of grade 3 or
greater toxic effects, including mucositis, did not differ significantly
between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment of locoregionally
advanced head and neck cancer with concomitant high-dose radiotherapy plus
cetuximab improves locoregional control and reduces mortality without
increasing the common toxic effects associated with radiotherapy to the head
and neck."
This 2006 report in the New England
Journal of Medicine was cited 38 times in current journal
articles indexed by Thomson Scientific during May-June 2007. Only two other
medicine papers published in the last two years (excluding reviews)
collected higher numbers of citations during that two-month period. Prior to
the most recent bimonthly count, citations to the paper have accrued as
follows:
March-April 2007: 17 citations
January-February 2007: 22
November-December 2006: 13
September-October 2006: 18
July-August 2006: 12
May-June 2006: 8
March-April 2006: 1
January-February 2006: 1
Total citations to date: 130
SOURCE: Hot
Papers Database Included with a subscription to the print newsletter Science
Watch®, available from the
Research Services Group. Packaged on a CD that is mailed with each Science
Watch issue, the Hot
Papers Database contains data on hundreds of highly cited papers published
during the last two years. User interface permits searching by author,
organization, journal, field, and more. Total citations, as well as citations
accrued during successive bimonthly periods, can be assessed and graphed. An
updated CD containing the most recent bimonthly data is mailed with every new
issue of Science
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six times a year. The CD also includes an electronic version of the Science
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