Tegafur–Uracil Maintenance Therapy in Non-Metastatic Head and Neck Cancer: An Exploratory Systematic Review
Background: Tegafur–uracil (UFT), an oral fluoropyrimidine developed in Asia, has been investigated as a maintenance or adjuvant therapy in various malignancies. Its use in head and neck cancers, however, remains limited to small retrospective studies, primarily from East Asia. Given the need for co...
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MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Current Oncology |
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| author | Hsu-Lin Lee Po-Huang Chen Tzu-Chuan Huang Ren-Hua Ye Yueng-Hsiang Chu Jih-Chin Lee Hong-Jie Jhou Jia-Hong Chen |
| author_facet | Hsu-Lin Lee Po-Huang Chen Tzu-Chuan Huang Ren-Hua Ye Yueng-Hsiang Chu Jih-Chin Lee Hong-Jie Jhou Jia-Hong Chen |
| author_sort | Hsu-Lin Lee |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Tegafur–uracil (UFT), an oral fluoropyrimidine developed in Asia, has been investigated as a maintenance or adjuvant therapy in various malignancies. Its use in head and neck cancers, however, remains limited to small retrospective studies, primarily from East Asia. Given the need for cost-effective maintenance strategies in resource-limited settings, we conducted an exploratory systematic review to evaluate the clinical utility of UFT in non-metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library from inception through 1 May 2025 for retrospective cohort studies evaluating UFT after definitive therapy in non-metastatic HNSCC or NPC. Study selection followed PRISMA guidelines. Given the heterogeneity of included studies, we performed a structured narrative synthesis using the SWiM (Synthesis Without Meta-analysis) framework to summarize survival outcomes, treatment settings, and clinical contexts. Results: Seven retrospective studies (four HNSCC, three NPC) involving 508 patients were included. UFT was generally administered at 300–400 mg/day for 6–12 months. Across studies, UFT use was associated with favorable disease-free and overall survival trends in high-risk subgroups, including patients with extranodal extension and persistent EBV DNA. Treatment adherence and toxicity profiles were acceptable. Conclusions: While the evidence remains limited and heterogeneous, this review highlights recurring signals of benefit associated with UFT maintenance therapy in selected high-risk patients. Prospective trials are warranted to confirm these findings and better define a possible role of UFT in maintenance therapy in some advanced non-metastatic HNSCC and NPC. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-18f04fed89f34c74a8aa382f6de7ef8d |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1198-0052 1718-7729 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Current Oncology |
| spelling | doaj-art-18f04fed89f34c74a8aa382f6de7ef8d2025-08-20T01:56:27ZengMDPI AGCurrent Oncology1198-00521718-77292025-05-0132528610.3390/curroncol32050286Tegafur–Uracil Maintenance Therapy in Non-Metastatic Head and Neck Cancer: An Exploratory Systematic ReviewHsu-Lin Lee0Po-Huang Chen1Tzu-Chuan Huang2Ren-Hua Ye3Yueng-Hsiang Chu4Jih-Chin Lee5Hong-Jie Jhou6Jia-Hong Chen7Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Taichung Armed Forces General Hospital, Taichung 411228, TaiwanDivision of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114202, TaiwanDivision of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114202, TaiwanDivision of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114202, TaiwanDepartment of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114202, TaiwanDepartment of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114202, TaiwanDepartment of Neurology, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua 500011, TaiwanDivision of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114202, TaiwanBackground: Tegafur–uracil (UFT), an oral fluoropyrimidine developed in Asia, has been investigated as a maintenance or adjuvant therapy in various malignancies. Its use in head and neck cancers, however, remains limited to small retrospective studies, primarily from East Asia. Given the need for cost-effective maintenance strategies in resource-limited settings, we conducted an exploratory systematic review to evaluate the clinical utility of UFT in non-metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library from inception through 1 May 2025 for retrospective cohort studies evaluating UFT after definitive therapy in non-metastatic HNSCC or NPC. Study selection followed PRISMA guidelines. Given the heterogeneity of included studies, we performed a structured narrative synthesis using the SWiM (Synthesis Without Meta-analysis) framework to summarize survival outcomes, treatment settings, and clinical contexts. Results: Seven retrospective studies (four HNSCC, three NPC) involving 508 patients were included. UFT was generally administered at 300–400 mg/day for 6–12 months. Across studies, UFT use was associated with favorable disease-free and overall survival trends in high-risk subgroups, including patients with extranodal extension and persistent EBV DNA. Treatment adherence and toxicity profiles were acceptable. Conclusions: While the evidence remains limited and heterogeneous, this review highlights recurring signals of benefit associated with UFT maintenance therapy in selected high-risk patients. Prospective trials are warranted to confirm these findings and better define a possible role of UFT in maintenance therapy in some advanced non-metastatic HNSCC and NPC.https://www.mdpi.com/1718-7729/32/5/286tegafur–uracilmaintenance therapyhead and neck squamous cell carcinomanasopharyngeal carcinoma |
| spellingShingle | Hsu-Lin Lee Po-Huang Chen Tzu-Chuan Huang Ren-Hua Ye Yueng-Hsiang Chu Jih-Chin Lee Hong-Jie Jhou Jia-Hong Chen Tegafur–Uracil Maintenance Therapy in Non-Metastatic Head and Neck Cancer: An Exploratory Systematic Review Current Oncology tegafur–uracil maintenance therapy head and neck squamous cell carcinoma nasopharyngeal carcinoma |
| title | Tegafur–Uracil Maintenance Therapy in Non-Metastatic Head and Neck Cancer: An Exploratory Systematic Review |
| title_full | Tegafur–Uracil Maintenance Therapy in Non-Metastatic Head and Neck Cancer: An Exploratory Systematic Review |
| title_fullStr | Tegafur–Uracil Maintenance Therapy in Non-Metastatic Head and Neck Cancer: An Exploratory Systematic Review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Tegafur–Uracil Maintenance Therapy in Non-Metastatic Head and Neck Cancer: An Exploratory Systematic Review |
| title_short | Tegafur–Uracil Maintenance Therapy in Non-Metastatic Head and Neck Cancer: An Exploratory Systematic Review |
| title_sort | tegafur uracil maintenance therapy in non metastatic head and neck cancer an exploratory systematic review |
| topic | tegafur–uracil maintenance therapy head and neck squamous cell carcinoma nasopharyngeal carcinoma |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1718-7729/32/5/286 |
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