S. Dinges et al., CHEMORADIOTHERAPY FOR LOCALLY ADVANCED HEAD AND NECK-CANCER - LONG-TERM RESULTS OF A PHASE-II TRIAL, European journal of cancer, 33(7), 1997, pp. 1152-1155
The feasibility and effectiveness of a combined chemo-radiotherapy tre
atment modality for locally advanced head and neck cancer was tested i
n a phase II trial. Between 1990 and 1993, 74 patients (20 female/54 m
ale) with head and neck cancer stage III (n = 12) and IV (n = 62) were
treated with accelerated radiotherapy (72 Gy) and simultaneous chemot
herapy (5-FU, folinic acid, mitomycin C). The median follow-up time wa
s 43 months (1-72). Complete remission (CR) was absent in 76% (56/74)
of patients and, after subsequent resection of residual lymph nodes, a
nother 8 patients achieved CR. The cumulative local control rate was 7
2% and disease-specific survival rate was 59% at 4 years. Two patients
died with treatment-related conditions (pancytopenia, larynx oedema).
By multivariate analysis, only lymph node status was an independent p
arameter for local control (P = 0.04). This treatment was feasible and
toxicity was not a treatment-limiting factor. As a consequence, a Ger
man multicentre phase III trial was initiated in 1995. (C) 1997 Elsevi
er Science Ltd.