Induction Chemotherapy with Docetaxel and Cisplatin Followed by Concomitant Chemoradiotherapy in Patients with Inoperable Non-nasopharyngeal Carcinoma of the Head and Neck

• Published in: Anticancer research Vol. 29; no. 2; pp. 529 - 538
• Main Authors: FOUNTZILAS, George, BAMIAS, Aristotelis, VAMVOUKA, Chrysanthi, ZARAMBOUKAS, Thomas, KOSMIDIS, Paris, ZAMBOGLOU, Nikolaos, MISAILIDOU, Despina, KALOGERA-FOUNTZILA, Anna, KARAYANNOPOULOU, Georgia, BOBOS, Mattheos, ATHANASSIOU, Eleni, KALOGERAS, Konstantine T, TOLIS, Christos, TSEKERIS, Periklis, PAPAKOSTAS, Pavlos
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Attiki International Institute of Anticancer Research 01.02.2009
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - drug therapy; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - genetics; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - radiotherapy; Cisplatin - administration & dosage; Combined Modality Therapy; Disease-Free Survival; Female; Gene Amplification; Genes, erbB-2; Head and Neck Neoplasms - drug therapy; Head and Neck Neoplasms - genetics; Head and Neck Neoplasms - radiotherapy; Humans; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology; Remission Induction; Taxoids - administration & dosage; Tumors; Upper respiratory tract, upper alimentary tract, paranasal sinuses, salivary glands: diseases, semeiology; Antineoplastic agent; Nasopharynx cancer; Nasopharynx carcinoma; Chemoradiotherapy; Repair gene; Cancerology; Taxane derivatives; Head and neck; ENT disease; Pharynx disease; Antimitotic; Platinum II Complexes; Human; Docetaxel; Malignant tumor; Radiotherapy; Induction treatment; Cisplatin; Alkylating agent; Chemotherapy; Treatment; ERCC1; radiation therapy; Head and neck cancer; Cancer
• ISSN: 0250-7005; 1791-7530

Background: Induction chemotherapy (IC) followed by concomitant chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) has the potential of being an ideal multi-modality approach for improving the prognosis of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SSCHN). Patients and Methods: Thirty-four patients with locally advanced SCCHN were treated with 3 cycles of IC, consisting of docetaxel 75 mg/m 2 and cisplatin 75 mg/m 2 every 3 weeks, followed 3-4 weeks later by definitive radiotherapy (70 Gy) and concomitant weekly cisplatin 40 mg/m 2 . Results: After a median follow-up of 27.7 months, 6-month progression-free survival (PFS), the primary study end-point, was 84% . The median PFS was 16.4 months and median overall survival 24.4 months. The majority of the patients completed 3 cycles of IC with mild to moderate toxicity. Anemia, nausea/vomiting and mucositis were the prominent toxicities during CCRT. Retrospective analysis of a panel of biomarkers suggested that excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1) protein expression was associated with shorter PFS. Conclusion: IC followed by CCRT, as administered in the present study, is a feasible and well-tolerated therapeutic approach. However, its real impact on the prognosis of SCCHN patients has to be demonstrated in a randomized study comparing this treatment to CCRT alone.