Results of preoperative combined therapy with radiation and multi-drug chemotherapy for oral squamous cell carcinomas

We retrospectively analyzed the effectiveness of preoperative treatment with combined chemotherapy, including cisplatin (CDDP) and carboplatin (CBDCA), and radiotherapy. Among 19 patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma, the primary site was the tongue in 13, the oral floor in 3, and the maxilla, lip, and gingiva in 1 case each. The clinical stage was 7 cases Stage II, 5 cases Stage III, and 7 cases Stage IV. Chemotherapy was administered intravenously using CDDP 50-80 mg (1 time) or CBDCA 150 mg once a week in a total dose of 300-750 mg, PEP 5 mg twice a week in a total dose of 40-60 mg, and 5-FU or Tegaful 300-600 mg in a total dose of 9.0-18.0 g. Radiotherapy was carried out with Lineac (5 times a week) in a total dose of 20-40 Gy/10-20 f/10-20 days. The clinical response to treatment was evaluated as CR 3 cases, PR 9 cases, and NC 6 cases. The response rate was 12/18 (66.7%) cases. Histologic effectiveness, evaluated according to the classification of Oohoshi and Shimosato, was Grade IV 11 cases, Grade III 3 cases, and Grade II 5 cases. The following adverse reactions were reported: stomatitis 19 cases, fever 13 cases, leukopenia 12 cases, loss of appetite 12 cases, and neutropenia 10 cases. Fourteen of the 19 patients (73.7%) have a good prognosis, without any signs of recurrence or metastasis. The results indicate that multidrug chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy is effective even for highly malignant carcinoma in the oral cavity. (author)