Simultaneous Fractionated Cisplatin and Radiation Therapy in the Treatment of Advanced Operable Stage III and IV Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Larynx.
Squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (SCCHN) make up approximately 3% of all cancer cases in the United States. SCCHN are most common in the larynx, pharynx, and oral cavity. These cancers are curable, but most patients present with locally advanced Stage III or IV disease, when treatment is complex and multidisciplinary. Traditional therapies for SCCHN involve radical surgery and/or post-operative radiotherapy.
More recently, multi-modality therapies involving chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery have become useful for improving locoregional control and organ preservation, although
survival is still poor. However, the roles of each technique are not yet standardized.
Common multi-modality treatments include, among others, docetaxel plus cisplatin followed by fluorouracil infusion for 4 days every 3 weeks; highdose cisplatin given on days 1, 22, and 43 of radiotherapy; daily low-dose concomitant cisplatin; and a weekly combination of carboplatin and taxol.2,4-6 Thus, it is difficult to determine which treatment is best for the patients.
The study variables included age, sex, race, vital status, alcohol use, tobacco use, tumor site, tumor grade, clinical stage, surgery, chemoradiotherapy regimen, clinical response, post-CTRT biopsy result, recurrence, and toxicity to treatment. In addition to significantly reducing toxicity, the CTRT
regimen analyzed in this study was highly effective against the cancer. The CCR was 67%, and the negative biopsy HCR of the primary tumor site was 67% as well (p<0.01).
Otolaryngol Open J. 2017; SE(6): S11-S16. doi:10.17140/OTLOJ-SE-6-102
