Cetuximab-induced rash is associated with overall survival in patients with recurrent/metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck

Purpose In this study, we looked for whether treatment-induced rash predicts treatment efficacy in patients with recurrent/metastatic HNSCC treated with Cetuximab and chemotherapy. Methods Patients who were treated with platinum-based chemotherapy and cetuximab for the first line treatment of recurrent/metastatic HNSCC were recruited. Presence of rash, hypomagnesemia, hypopotassemia, anemia, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia during treatment and treatment response, date of progression, date of last visit and death were recorded. Results A total of 138 patients’ data were available for analysis. Any grade of rash was detected in 57 (44.5%) of the patients. The incidence of rash was significantly higher in patients with objective response than in patients with disease progression (%56.8 vs %14.3, p