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Updated: Jan 13, 2026
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Therapy Testing in a Spheroid-based 3D Cell Culture Model for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Published on: April 20, 2018
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Multi-agent chemotherapy for refractory head and neck cancer.
I-Wei Ho1,2,3,4, Tien-Hua Chen1,4, Peter Mu-Hsin Chang1,5
1Department of Oncology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA
|January 8, 2026
Summary
The MEMOCLUB chemotherapy regimen shows promise as a salvage therapy for platinum-refractory head and neck cancer. Adding cetuximab significantly improved survival, especially in patients who had not previously received cetuximab.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Head and Neck Cancer Research
- Chemotherapy Regimens
Background:
- Recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (R/M HNSCC) has a poor prognosis.
- Immunotherapies benefit only a subset of patients (high PD-L1 expression).
- Limited options exist for platinum-refractory or low PD-L1 HNSCC patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the MEMOCLUB regimen for platinum-refractory R/M HNSCC.
- To assess the impact of adding cetuximab to the MEMOCLUB regimen.
- To identify prognostic factors for survival in this patient population.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study of 124 patients with platinum-refractory R/M HNSCC.
- MEMOCLUB regimen administered with or without cetuximab (2015-2022).
- Efficacy measured by objective response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS).
Main Results:
- Median PFS: 2.9 months; Median OS: 5.3 months.
- ORR: 10.5%; Disease control rate: 27.4%.
- Cetuximab co-administration significantly improved OS, particularly in cetuximab-naïve patients. Anemia was the most common adverse event.
Conclusions:
- MEMOCLUB is a feasible salvage therapy for refractory HNSCC with acceptable tolerability.
- Cetuximab addition significantly benefits cetuximab-naïve patients, improving survival outcomes.
- Co-administration of cetuximab is a potentially advantageous strategy for this subgroup.
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