Radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy of head and neck cancer. Compared with concurrent combination and non-concurrent combination

Thirty-two patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck who had no distant metastasis were treated with radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy (Cisplatin based chemotherapy) at the Department of Radiology, Sapporo National Hospital, Hokkaido Cancer Center. Primary lesions were 12 patients with nasopharyngeal cancer, 8 patients with oropharyngeal cancer, 5 patients with hypopharyngeal cancer, 5 patients with tongue or intraocular cancer and 2 patients with laryngeal cancer. There were twenty-seven male patients and five female patients. The age range was 20 years to 72 years with a median of 58 years. Twenty-five patients had grade 1 of performance status, 2 patients had grade 2, 2 patients had grade 4 and none had grade 3. Five-year survival rate of all patients was 44.2%. Complete response (CR) was 67.8% and partial response was 0%. CR rate of patients with concurrent combination of radiation and chemotherapy was 71.4% (10/14) and non-concurrent combination (neo-adjuvant or adjuvant) was 72.2% (13/18). Survival rate of two groups was almost the same. Acute reactions to pharynx of patients with concurrent combination was more severe than non-concurrent combination. Then treatment time of concurrent combination was longer than non-concurrent combination. (author)