Systemic Therapy for Stage I-III Anal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: ASCO Guideline

To provide evidence-based guidance for clinicians who treat patients with stage I-III anal cancer.

A systematic review of the literature conducted by the Minnesota Evidence-based Practice Center provided the evidence base for this guideline. An ASCO Expert Panel reviewed this evidence and came to consensus on a set of evidence-based recommendations.

The systematic review contained three randomized controlled trials and three nonrandomized studies of interventions that were relevant to the guideline topic and informed the recommendations.

Mitomycin-C (MMC) with a fluoropyrimidine (fluorouracil [FU] or capecitabine) is recommended as the radiosensitizing component of chemoradiation (CRT) for anal cancer; the Expert Panel recognizes that capecitabine is often used as an orally administered alternative to FU and is currently being used in ongoing clinical trials. Cisplatin with FU is an additional chemotherapy combination that may be recommended as radiosensitizing chemotherapy. Because of the myelosuppression associated with MMC, the preferable regimen for patients with immunosuppression is cisplatin and FU. Cisplatin is not recommended for patients with renal dysfunction, significant neuropathy, or hearing loss, and there is no evidence to recommend substituting carboplatin for cisplatin. Dose and schedule options for recommended chemotherapy agents are included within the full text of the guideline. Routine induction chemotherapy before CRT and additional chemotherapy after CRT are not recommended for patients with localized anal cancer.Additional information is available at www.asco.org/gastrointestinal-cancer-guidelines.