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Docetaxel Based Chemotherapy Plus or Minus Induction Chemotherapy to Decrease Events in Head and Neck Cancer (DeCIDE)

A Phase III Randomized Trial of Docetaxel Based Induction Chemotherapy in Patients With N2/N3 Locally Advanced Head and Neck Cancer

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT00117572
Acronym
DeCIDE
Enrollment
285
Registered
2005-07-07
Start date
2004-11-30
Completion date
2016-12-31
Last updated
2018-04-09

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Cancer of the Larynx, Cancer of the Nasal Cavity, Cancer of the Oral Cavity, Cancer of the Pharynx, Paranasal Sinus Neoplasms

Keywords

Cancer of the Pharynx (Nasopharynx, Oropharynx, Hypopharynx), Cancer of the Nasal Cavity and Paranasal Sinuses

Brief summary

The combined use of chemotherapeutic drugs with radiation has proven to be effective in improving overall survival and local control among patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer. Induction chemotherapy given before receiving local treatment has been shown to reduce the rate of distant failure. Many drugs have been found to prevent tumor cells from growing or dividing, although it has yet to be determined which agent, or specific combination of agents, is most effective in treating head and neck cancer. Docetaxel is a drug which has been reported to show promising activity in Phase II head and neck cancer studies. Therefore, the purpose of this trial is to compare the effectiveness of induction chemotherapy followed by chemoradiotherapy versus the same chemoradiotherapy alone in patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer.

Detailed description

TRIAL DESIGN: Phase III trial of induction therapy with docetaxel followed by chemoradiotherapy versus chemoradiotherapy alone in patients with nodal stage N2 or N3 head and neck cancer OBJECTIVES: Primary * To determine the effect on overall survival when induction chemotherapy is administered prior to chemoradiotherapy in patients with N2 or N3 disease. Secondary * To determine the effect of induction chemotherapy when administered prior to chemoradiotherapy on distant failure-free survival, failure pattern, progression free survival and quality of life. TREATMENT PLAN: * After eligibility is confirmed, patients will be randomized to one of two treatment arms: Arm A - Induction + chemoradiotherapy Arm B - Chemoradiotherapy alone * Induction therapy: Two 21-day cycles of chemotherapy consisting of docetaxel (day 1), cisplatin (day 1), and 5-fluorouracil (days 1-5). Total duration of 6 weeks. * Chemoradiotherapy: Five 14-day cycles of docetaxel (day 1), 5-fluorouracil (day 0-4), and hydroxyurea (days 0-4) with twice daily radiation (days 1-5). Total duration of 10 weeks. * All patients will undergo surgical evaluation after chemoradiation for possible neck dissection. * Upon completion of treatment, patients will be monitored every three months during the first year, every six months during the second and third years, and annually thereafter, up to seven years. * Patients will be followed for Quality of Life (QOL) during the course of treatment, as well as annually thereafter, up to five years. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: * An expected sample size of 400 patients will be enrolled for this study (200 per treatment arm).

Interventions

DRUGfluorouracil

750 mg/m2/day on days 1-5 (induction phase); 600 mg/m2/day, day 0-4 (chemoradiotherapy phase)

DRUGdocetaxel

75 mg/m2 on day 1 (induction phase); 25 mg/m2 on day 1 (chemoradiotherapy phase)

DRUGcisplatin

75 mg/m2 on day 1

DRUGhydroxyurea

Each cycle: 500 mg PO q 12 hours x 6 days (11 doses)

PROCEDUREchemotherapy

See protocol for details

PROCEDUREradiotherapy

See protocol for details

Sponsors

University of Chicago
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Age 18 years or older * Histologically or cytologically confirmed diagnosis of squamous cell or poorly differentiated carcinomas of the head and neck (excluding lip), or lymphoepithelioma * No prior chemotherapy or radiotherapy * Prior surgical therapy will consist only of incisional or excisional biopsy, and organ sparing procedures such as debulking of airway-compromising tumors or neck dissection in a patient with an existing primary tumor * Karnofsky performance status of \>= 70% * Intact organ and bone marrow function * Obtained informed consent

Exclusion criteria

* Demonstration of metastatic disease (i.e. M1 disease). * Patients with a history of severe allergic reaction to docetaxel or other drugs formulated with polysorbate 80. History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, or hydroxyurea * Other coexisting malignancies or malignancies diagnosed within the previous 3 years with the exception of basal cell carcinoma, cervical cancer in situ, and other treated malignancies with no evidence of disease for at least 3 years. * Prior surgical therapy other than incisional or excisional biopsy and organ-sparing procedures such as debulking of airway-compromising tumors or neck dissection in a patient with an unknown primary tumor. Any non-biopsy procedure must have taken place less than 3 months from initiating protocol treatment. * Incomplete healing from previous surgery * Pregnancy or breast feeding (men and women of child-bearing potential are eligible but must consent to using effective contraception during therapy and for at least 3 months after completing therapy) * Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure (CHF), unstable angina pectoris, cardiac arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with study requirements * Patients with clinically significant pulmonary dysfunction, cardiomyopathy, or any history of clinically significant CHF are excluded. The exclusion of patients with active coronary artery disease will be at the discretion of the attending physician. * Uncontrolled active infection unless curable with treatment of their cancer.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Overall Survival: Time From Randomization to Death From Any CauseUp to 6 yearsSurvival rates over 6 years.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Recurrence Free Survival: Time From Randomization to Local/Regional/Distant Recurrence or Death From Any CauseUp to 6 yearsRecurrence-free survival rates over 6 years. Recurrence-free survival is time from randomization to local, regional, or distant recurrence or death from any cause
Failure Pattern (Local/Regional Recurrence)Up to 6 yearsPercentage of patients with local/regional recurrence
Failure Pattern (Distant Recurrence)Up to 6 yearsPercentage of patients with distant recurrence
Distant Failure-free Survival (DFFS): Time From Randomization to Distant Recurrence or Death From Any CauseUp to 6 yearsDFFS rates over 6 years. DFFS is time from randomization to distant recurrence or death from any cause
Quality of Life (Normalcy of Diet)Change from baseline to post-CRT (post-pre). This corresponds to week 16 in the induction arm and week 10 in the CRT alone arm.Performance Status Score (0-100 point scale with negative numbers indicating worsening of function)
Quality of Life (Speech)Change from baseline to post-CRT (post-pre). This corresponds to week 16 in the induction arm and week 10 in the CRT alone arm.Performance Status Score (0-100 point scale with negative numbers indicating worsening of function)
Quality of Life (McMaster)Change from baseline to post-CRT (post-pre). This corresponds to week 16 in the induction arm and week 10 in the CRT alone arm.McMaster RT Questionnaire (4-28 point scale with negative numbers indicating worsening of function)
Quality of Life (FACT H&N)Change from baseline to post-CRT (post-pre). This corresponds to week 16 in the induction arm and week 10 in the CRT alone arm.FACT Hand-and-neck subscale(b) (0-40 point scale with negative numbers indicating worsening of function)

Countries

Croatia, France, Russia, Spain, United States

Participant flow

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Induction Plus Chemoradiotherapy
Induction therapy: Two 21-day cycles of chemotherapy consisting of docetaxel (75 mg/m2, day 1), cisplatin (75 mg/m2, day 1), and 5-fluorouracil (750 mg/m2/day, days 1-5). Total duration of 6 weeks. Chemoradiotherapy: Five 14-day cycles of docetaxel (25 mg/m2, day 1), 5-fluorouracil (600 mg/m2/day, day 0-4), and hydroxyurea (500 mg PO q 12 hours x 6 days (11 doses)) with twice daily radiation (150 cGy given bid, days 1-5). Total duration of 10 weeks. docetaxel: 75 mg/m2 on day 1 (induction phase); 25 mg/m2 on day 1 (chemoradiotherapy phase) cisplatin: 75 mg/m2 on day 1 hydroxyurea: Each cycle: 500 mg PO q 12 hours x 6 days (11 doses) fluorouracil: 750 mg/m2/day on days 1-5 (induction phase); 600 mg/m2/day, day 0-4 (chemoradiotherapy phase) chemotherapy: See protocol for details radiotherapy: See protocol for details
138
Chemoradiotherapy
Chemoradiotherapy: Five 14-day cycles of docetaxel (25 mg/m2, day 1), 5-fluorouracil (600 mg/m2/day, day 0-4), and hydroxyurea (500 mg PO q 12 hours x 6 days (11 doses)) with twice daily radiation (150 cGy given bid, days 1-5). Total duration of 10 weeks. docetaxel: 75 mg/m2 on day 1 (induction phase); 25 mg/m2 on day 1 (chemoradiotherapy phase) hydroxyurea: Each cycle: 500 mg PO q 12 hours x 6 days (11 doses) fluorouracil: 750 mg/m2/day on days 1-5 (induction phase); 600 mg/m2/day, day 0-4 (chemoradiotherapy phase) chemotherapy: See protocol for details radiotherapy: See protocol for details
135
Total273

Withdrawals & dropouts

PeriodReasonFG000FG001
Overall StudyProtocol Violation10
Overall StudySite withdrew before starting treatment23
Overall StudyWithdrawal by Subject33

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicChemoradiotherapyTotalInduction Plus Chemoradiotherapy
Age, Continuous56.9 years56.8 years56.7 years
Region of Enrollment
Croatia
4 Participants9 Participants5 Participants
Region of Enrollment
France
3 Participants7 Participants4 Participants
Region of Enrollment
Russia
5 Participants13 Participants8 Participants
Region of Enrollment
Spain
0 Participants1 Participants1 Participants
Region of Enrollment
United States
123 Participants243 Participants120 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
17 Participants42 Participants25 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
118 Participants231 Participants113 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
EG001
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
39 / 13842 / 135
other
Total, other adverse events
132 / 138129 / 135
serious
Total, serious adverse events
65 / 13838 / 135

Outcome results

Primary

Overall Survival: Time From Randomization to Death From Any Cause

Survival rates over 6 years.

Time frame: Up to 6 years

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
Induction Plus ChemoradiotherapyOverall Survival: Time From Randomization to Death From Any Cause74.9 percentage of participants
ChemoradiotherapyOverall Survival: Time From Randomization to Death From Any Cause72.8 percentage of participants
Comparison: Comparison of overall survival curvesp-value: 0.6895% CI: [0.59, 1.41]Log Rank
Secondary

Distant Failure-free Survival (DFFS): Time From Randomization to Distant Recurrence or Death From Any Cause

DFFS rates over 6 years. DFFS is time from randomization to distant recurrence or death from any cause

Time frame: Up to 6 years

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
Induction Plus ChemoradiotherapyDistant Failure-free Survival (DFFS): Time From Randomization to Distant Recurrence or Death From Any Cause69.3 percentage of participants
ChemoradiotherapyDistant Failure-free Survival (DFFS): Time From Randomization to Distant Recurrence or Death From Any Cause63.8 percentage of participants
p-value: 0.3795% CI: [0.55, 1.25]Log Rank
Secondary

Failure Pattern (Distant Recurrence)

Percentage of patients with distant recurrence

Time frame: Up to 6 years

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
Induction Plus ChemoradiotherapyFailure Pattern (Distant Recurrence)13.8 percentage of participants
ChemoradiotherapyFailure Pattern (Distant Recurrence)21.5 percentage of participants
p-value: 0.11Fisher Exact
Secondary

Failure Pattern (Local/Regional Recurrence)

Percentage of patients with local/regional recurrence

Time frame: Up to 6 years

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
Induction Plus ChemoradiotherapyFailure Pattern (Local/Regional Recurrence)10.1 percentage of participants
ChemoradiotherapyFailure Pattern (Local/Regional Recurrence)12.6 percentage of participants
p-value: 0.57Fisher Exact
Secondary

Quality of Life (FACT H&N)

FACT Hand-and-neck subscale(b) (0-40 point scale with negative numbers indicating worsening of function)

Time frame: Change from baseline to post-CRT (post-pre). This corresponds to week 16 in the induction arm and week 10 in the CRT alone arm.

Population: Survivors who completed the questionnaire. (Patients with missing data excluded.)

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Induction Plus ChemoradiotherapyQuality of Life (FACT H&N)-11.41 units on a scaleStandard Error 1.11
ChemoradiotherapyQuality of Life (FACT H&N)-12.34 units on a scaleStandard Error 1.1
p-value: 0.55t-test, 2 sided
Secondary

Quality of Life (FACT H&N)

FACT Hand-and-neck subscale(b) (0-40 point scale with negative numbers indicating worsening of function)

Time frame: Change from baseline to 1 year (1 year-pre)

Population: Survivors who completed the questionnaire. (Patients with missing data excluded.)

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Induction Plus ChemoradiotherapyQuality of Life (FACT H&N)-7.60 units on a scaleStandard Error 1.14
ChemoradiotherapyQuality of Life (FACT H&N)-7.34 units on a scaleStandard Error 1.31
p-value: 0.88t-test, 2 sided
Secondary

Quality of Life (McMaster)

McMaster RT Questionnaire (4-28 point scale with negative numbers indicating worsening of function)

Time frame: Change from baseline to post-CRT (post-pre). This corresponds to week 16 in the induction arm and week 10 in the CRT alone arm.

Population: Survivors who completed the questionnaire. (Patients with missing data excluded.)

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Induction Plus ChemoradiotherapyQuality of Life (McMaster)-9.72 units on a scaleStandard Error 0.9
ChemoradiotherapyQuality of Life (McMaster)-9.79 units on a scaleStandard Error 0.86
p-value: 0.96t-test, 2 sided
Secondary

Quality of Life (McMaster)

McMaster RT Questionnaire (4-28 point scale with negative numbers indicating worsening of function)

Time frame: Change from baseline to 1 year (1 year-pre)

Population: Survivors who completed the questionnaire. (Patients with missing data excluded.)

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Induction Plus ChemoradiotherapyQuality of Life (McMaster)-3.29 units on a scaleStandard Error 1.08
ChemoradiotherapyQuality of Life (McMaster)-6.00 units on a scaleStandard Error 1.15
p-value: 0.09t-test, 2 sided
Secondary

Quality of Life (Normalcy of Diet)

Performance Status Score (0-100 point scale with negative numbers indicating worsening of function)

Time frame: Change from baseline to 1 year (1 year-pre)

Population: Survivors who completed the questionnaire. (Patients with missing data excluded.)

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Induction Plus ChemoradiotherapyQuality of Life (Normalcy of Diet)-10.22 units on a scaleStandard Error 4.49
ChemoradiotherapyQuality of Life (Normalcy of Diet)-8.89 units on a scaleStandard Error 4.09
p-value: 0.83t-test, 2 sided
Secondary

Quality of Life (Normalcy of Diet)

Performance Status Score (0-100 point scale with negative numbers indicating worsening of function)

Time frame: Change from baseline to post-CRT (post-pre). This corresponds to week 16 in the induction arm and week 10 in the CRT alone arm.

Population: Survivors who completed the questionnaire. (Patients with missing data excluded.)

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Induction Plus ChemoradiotherapyQuality of Life (Normalcy of Diet)-54.00 units on a scaleStandard Error 3.95
ChemoradiotherapyQuality of Life (Normalcy of Diet)-41.51 units on a scaleStandard Error 4.3
p-value: 0.034t-test, 2 sided
Secondary

Quality of Life (Speech)

Performance Status Score (0-100 point scale with negative numbers indicating worsening of function)

Time frame: Change from baseline to 1 year (1 year-pre)

Population: Survivors who completed the questionnaire. (Patients with missing data excluded.)

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Induction Plus ChemoradiotherapyQuality of Life (Speech)-1.70 units on a scaleStandard Error 1.7
ChemoradiotherapyQuality of Life (Speech)-3.41 units on a scaleStandard Error 1.74
p-value: 0.49t-test, 2 sided
Secondary

Quality of Life (Speech)

Performance Status Score (0-100 point scale with negative numbers indicating worsening of function)

Time frame: Change from baseline to post-CRT (post-pre). This corresponds to week 16 in the induction arm and week 10 in the CRT alone arm.

Population: Survivors who completed the questionnaire. (Patients with missing data excluded.)

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Induction Plus ChemoradiotherapyQuality of Life (Speech)-10.67 units on a scaleStandard Error 2.77
ChemoradiotherapyQuality of Life (Speech)-7.35 units on a scaleStandard Error 2.21
p-value: 0.35t-test, 2 sided
Secondary

Recurrence Free Survival: Time From Randomization to Local/Regional/Distant Recurrence or Death From Any Cause

Recurrence-free survival rates over 6 years. Recurrence-free survival is time from randomization to local, regional, or distant recurrence or death from any cause

Time frame: Up to 6 years

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
Induction Plus ChemoradiotherapyRecurrence Free Survival: Time From Randomization to Local/Regional/Distant Recurrence or Death From Any Cause68.6 percentage of participants
ChemoradiotherapyRecurrence Free Survival: Time From Randomization to Local/Regional/Distant Recurrence or Death From Any Cause58.6 percentage of participants
p-value: 0.1695% CI: [0.51, 1.12]Log Rank

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026