Capecitabine maintenance therapy after induction chemotherapy for newly diagnosed metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Capecitabine maintenance therapy improves survival outcomes in various cancer types, but data are limited on the efficacy and safety of capecitabine maintenance therapy in metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma. A phase 3 study at Sun Yat-sen Cancer Center (Guangzhou, China) found that among patients with newly diagnosed metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma who achieve disease control after capecitabine-containing induction chemotherapy, capecitabine maintenance therapy significantly improved progression-free survival (median PFS 35.9 months with capecitabine maintenance plus best supportive care versus 8.2 months with BSC alone; HR 0.44; p=0.002).