Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Alone or Combined with EGFR-Directed Targeted Therapy or Anti-PD-1 Immunotherapy for Locally Advanced Lacrimal Sac and Nasolacrimal Duct Carcinomas

ABSTRACT

Background/aims

We describe our findings in patients with locally advanced lacrimal sac and nasolacrimal duct (NLD) carcinoma who received neoadjuvant systemic therapy.

Methods

We identified patients with locally advanced primary lacrimal sac/NLD carcinoma treated with neoadjuvant systemic intravenous therapy at our institution during 2017–2019.

Results

The study included seven patients, four men and three women; the mean age was 60.4 years (range: 43–76). All patients had locally advanced disease with significant orbital soft tissue invasion with or without skull base invasion making eye-sparing surgery not feasible as an initial step. Three patients had poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma; two, invasive carcinoma with basaloid and squamous features; one, high-grade carcinoma with features suggestive of sebaceous differentiation; and one, undifferentiated carcinoma. The neoadjuvant regimens were cisplatin and docetaxel (n = 1); carboplatin and docetaxel (n = 1); paclitaxel and cetuximab (n = 1); carboplatin, paclitaxel, and cetuximab (EGFR inhibitor) (n = 2); cisplatin, docetaxel, and pembrolizumab (anti-PD-1 immunotherapy) (n = 1); and carboplatin, paclitaxel, and pembrolizumab (n = 1). All patients had radiologic disease regression, and one patient had radiologic near-complete response. After neoadjuvant therapy, all patients underwent wide local excision and adjuvant concurrent chemoradiation. Two patients had a complete pathologic response. At a median follow-up period of 13 months after chemoradiation (range, 8–54 months), all patients were alive without evidence of disease. One patient had nodal metastasis treated with lymph node dissection and adjuvant chemoradiation.

Conclusions

Neoadjuvant systemic therapy can shrink tumors in patients with locally advanced primary lacrimal sac/NLD carcinoma with orbital or skull base invasion.

KEYWORDS:

• Cetuximab
• immune checkpoint inhibitors
• lacrimal sac carcinoma
• neoadjuvant therapy
• pembrolizumab

Acknowledgments

We thank Stephanie Deming, Research Medical Library, MD Anderson Cancer Center, for editing the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the NIH/NCI under award number P30CA016672.