Safety and Superiority of Penicillamine in Radiosensitization of Recurrent Head and Neck Cancer

Overview

Our preclinical study confirmed that copper accumulation can lead to radioresistance in vitro and in vivo, and reducing the concentration of copper with copper chelator help to overcome radioresistance. Therefore, the investigators plan to carry out a prospective interventional phase II clinical trial to explore the safety and efficacy of penicillamine (a common copper chelator) as a radiosensitizer in the treatment of recurrent head and neck cancer.

Head and neck cancer is the sixth most common cancer worldwide. Radiotherapy is an important measure to control tumor recurrence. Although radiotherapy has been widely used in patients with head and neck cancer, the 2-year local recurrence rate of patients with locally advanced disease is still as high as 50%-60%. This is associated with a lower radiosensitivity in head and neck cancer. High doses of reirradiation (\>60 Gy) are associated with severe late complications and treatment-related mortality. Therefore, finding an appropriate sensitizer to improve the radiosensitivity is the key to improve the survival of recurrent patients. Our preclinical study confirmed that copper accumulation can lead to radioresistance in vitro and in vivo, and the results were published in J Hepatol (IF=25.7). Penicillamine is a commonly used copper chelator in clinical practice and can reduce the concentration of copper in the body. Based on this, the investigators plan to carry out a prospective interventional phase II clinical trial to explore the safety and efficacy of penicillamine as a radiosensitizer in the treatment of recurrent head and neck cancer.

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