EVALUATION OF TUMORAL AND LYMPH-NODE RESP ONSE TO NEOADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY IN UNDIFFERENTIATED NASOPHARYNGEAL CARCINOMA

Between January 1994 and June 1995, 13 cases of nasopharyngeal carcino ma, classified N2-N3 (AJC/UICC 1987) were treated by neoadjuvant chemo therapy including cisplatin 100mg/m(2) on day 1 and epirubicin 80 mg/m (2) on day 1. Following course started on day 21. A clinical and scann ographic evaluation was made after 3 courses of chemotherapy. Fifty-ei ght percent of the patients were N3. Seventy-four percent were T3-T4. Tolerance to chemotherapy was good in 100% of the cases. A functional improvement was obtained in 14 among 16 patients who were initially sy mptomatic For lymph nodes, an objective response (OR) was observed in all patients. The response was complete (CR) in 53%. A regression of p rimary tumor was obtained in 68% of the patients, but it was complete in 16% only. Sixty-nine percent of the patients who have a tumoral OR have a lymph node CR Ninety percent of the patients with a complete ly mph node response have a tumoral regression more than 50%. A correlati on seems likely between the importance of the tumoral and the lymlph n ode responses.