Phase I trial of 18F-Fludeoxyglucose based radiation dose painting with concomitant cisplatin in head and neck cancer

Purpose The CONTRAST (CONventional vs.Tumor Recurrence Adapted Specification of Target dose) phase I trial tested the safety of FDG PET guided dose redistribution in patients receiving accelerated chemo-radiotherapy for locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Methods and materials CONTRAST was designed with two pre-defined dose-escalation steps to the FDG PET-avid volume (GTVPET). The primary end point was any early grade 4+ toxicity according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.0 (CTCAE). The dose to GTVPET was escalated to a uniform prescription of 82 Gy EQD2 in the first step. All patients received accelerated radiotherapy (6 fractions a week) delivering 34 fractions of 2.34 Gy to the GTVPET as well as concomitant weekly cisplatin. Inclusion criteria were (1) primary SCC of oral cavity, oro- or hypo-pharynx, or laynx, (2) candidates for concomitant chemo-radiotherapy and (3) p16 negative tumors or p16 positive tumors in patients with smoking history of >10 pack years. GTVPET was defined by a specialist in nuclear medicine and a radiologist, while the anatomic GTV was defined in collaboration between an oncologist and a radiologist. Results Median follow up time from the end of treatment was 18 months (range 7–21 months). All 15 patients completed treatment without interruptions and no incidents of early grade 4+ toxicity were observed. Four patients had ulceration at the evaluation two months after treatment, two have subsequently healed, but two remain, raising concerns regarding late effects. Conclusions With all 15 cases having completed four month follow up and no incidence of early grade 4+ toxicity FDG PET based dose escalation to 82 Gy passed the protocol-defined criterion for dose escalation. However, two cases of concern regarding late outcome led us to refrain from further dose escalation and proceed with the current dose level in a larger comparative effectiveness trial.