Oral metronomic scheduling of anticancer therapy-based treatment compared to existing standard of care in locally advanced oral squamous cell cancers: A matched-pair analysis

Abstract

Oral MSAT is an economical, effective, and safe adjuvant therapy for oral cancers. It has the potential for preventing progression of the disease and improving DFS.

Selected current data on metronomic therapy (and its promise) from India

“…Such comparison has also been made between OMT and weekly cisplatin. [ 4 5 ] This is the most impressive data that we have seen in favor of OMT so far.…”

Next generation metronomic chemotherapy—report from the Fifth Biennial International Metronomic and Anti-angiogenic Therapy Meeting, 6–8 May 2016, Mumbai

“…Long term survival (3-5 years) is 10-30% in locally advanced disease. Efforts to improve OS have been largely disappointing, but encouraging results using MC have been reported in a palliative setting [102], and other results show an improvement in two-year DFS associated with metronomic treatment [103]. On-going trials include a comparison of standard treatment (surgical resection + radiotherapy) vs oral MC in operable AJCC Stage III and IV oral squamous cell carcinoma.…”

Delivery of cancer care in rural India: Experiences of establishing a rural comprehensive cancer care facility

“…Less intensive surgeries are compensated by giving neo-adjuvant chemotherapy, peri-operative therapies, and/or maintenance therapies, specially developed at BKLWH, without affecting the outcomes and maybe even improving the outcomes. [ 9 10 ]…”

“…[ 8 ] These were later also used in newly diagnosed cancer patients with advanced disease at presentation. [ 8 9 10 ] Not only the cost of drugs is low, but these protocols can be delivered with minimal infrastructure: Only an occasional patient required blood or platelet support, and in most patients even laboratory investigations such as complete blood count, liver function test, renal function test was done once in 2-3 months. Using this pilot data, some of these metronomic therapies are now being investigated in phase II/III trials at TMH.…”