Daily concurrent chemoradiotherapy using superselective intra-arterial infusion via superficial temporal artery. Preoperative therapy for stage III, IV oral cancer

Recently, daily concurrent chemoradiotherapy using new superselective intra-arterial infusion via superficial temporal arterial artery is attracting attention. The catheter with curved tip is inserted superselectively to the feeding artery of the tumor via the superficial temporal artery, allowing long-term catheterization. Forty-one patients with stage III, IV oral cancer were treated. Radiotherapy (total dose: 40 Gy/4 weeks) and superselective intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy using docetaxel (total dose: 60 mg/m2, 15 mg/m2/week) and cisplatin (total dose: 100 mg/m2, 5 mg/m2/day) were concurrently performed daily, followed by surgery. In 35 patients, intra-arterial infusion was successful (success rate: 85.4%) and no major complication was observed. The clinical effects were complete response (CR) in 29 patients (82.9%), and pathological effects of resected tumor after surgery were pathological CR in 31 (88.6%). This method promises to be a new strategy of choice for the treatment of oral cancer. (author)