Phase II Study of Saracatinib (AZD0530) for Patients with Recurrent or Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC)

Background: Saracatinib (AZD0530) is an orally available Src kinase inhibitor. A phase II study was conducted to evaluate saracatinib in patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC). Patients and Methods: This was an open-label, single-arm, phase II study. Patients received 175 mg saracatinib daily either orally or by percutaneous gastrostomy tube. Radiologic imaging for response was planned at the end of each eight-week cycle. Results: Nine patients were enrolled. All patients had received prior radiotherapy and six patients had received prior chemotherapy for recurrent or metastatic disease. The most common adverse event was fatigue. Eight patients had progression of disease by response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (RECIST) within the first eight-week cycle and one patient was removed from the study after 11 days due to clinical decline with stable disease according to the RECIST criteria. Median overall survival was six months. The study was closed early due to lack of efficacy according to the early stopping rule. Conclusion: Single-agent saracatinib does not merit further study in recurrent or metastatic HNSCC.