Platinum and anthracycline therapy for advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

Because metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) is rare, standard chemotherapy has not been fully established. In Japan, combination platinum and anthracycline chemotherapy has been used for elderly patients with advanced CSCC because of its low toxicity. However, the clinical benefit of this therapy has not been fully examined.

We retrospectively examined the response rate of combination platinum and anthracycline chemotherapy for metastatic CSCC.

Eight patients received combination chemotherapy for metastatic lesions; there were lymph node lesions in 6 patients and skin and lung lesions in one patient each. The combination regimens were as follows: cisplatin (CDDP) (60–90 mg/m²/day, day 1) and adriamycin (ADM) (20–40 mg/m²/day, day 1 or 2) was administered in 5 patients; CDDP (10–15 mg/m²/day, days 1–5) and epirubicin (epi-ADM) (10–15 mg/m²/day, days 1–5) was administered in 2 patients; and carboplatin (CBDCA) (200–400 mg/m²/day, day 1) and ADM (20–40 mg/m²/day, day 1 or 2) was administered in one patient. The responses were as follows: complete response in 2 patients (CDDP + ADM for lung metastasis, CDDP + epi-ADM for lymph node metastasis), partial response in 1 (CDDP + ADM for lymph node metastasis), stable disease in 2, and progressive disease in 3. A durable response was observed in 2 patients showing complete responses (58 and 112 months).

The clinical effect of the combination of platinum and anthracycline for metastatic CSCC was limited despite the findings of two patients showing durable complete responses.