Clinical study of HCFU in combination with irradiation therapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

Sixty-two patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck were administered a mean total dose of 75.9 g carmofur (HCFU) in combination with a mean total dose of 49.0 Gy irradiation therapy. The primary sites of cancer were : larynx 29 cases, oral cavity 11 cases, nasal and paranasal cavity 7 cases, hypopharynx 5 cases, mesopharynx 5 cases, epipharynx 3 cases, and others 2 cases. The clinical stages were : stage I 11 cases, stage II 15 cases, stage III 17 cases, and stage IV 19 cases. In 57 evaluable patients having measurable lesions, overall response rate, including 26 complete responses (CR) and 16 partial responses (PR), was 73.7 %. Average doses of HCFU were 13.1 g at PR, 27.8 g at CR, and those of irradiation were 27.7 Gy at PR, 48.5 Gy at CR. The median duration of PR was 44.8 weeks and that of CR was 47.0 weeks, the overall response interval being 47.7 weeks. Of the 62 patients, 25 (40.3 %) complained of side effects including pollakisuria (9 cases), appetite loss (6 cases), stomatitis (5 cases), and so on. (author)