Treatment of head and neck cancer with combination chemotherapy of CDDP and radiotherapy

Abstract

There have been many reports on the usefuless of chemotherapy involving cisplatin for squamous cell carcinoma of the head neck. Single radiotherapy has also achieved excellent therapeutic results. In the present study, combined treatment involving multiple drug therapy (including cisplatin) and radiotherapy was carried out in 102 previously untreated patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. The total efficiency rate of treatment involving cisplatin at a dose of 100mg or more per body weight and an X-ray dose of 40Gy or more was determined, along with assessment of differences among the total efficiency rate during the period of chemotherapy, the efficiency rate in Stages III and IV and the rate of complete regression (CR) for these stages. The patients who underwent the simultaneous, combined treatment showed a better efficiency rate and CR rate than the patients who underwent the single treatment. These results indicate that the simultaneous, combined treatment was more effective than the single treatment from the viewpoint of the main purpose of combined treatment involving chemotherapy and radiotherapy, i.e., treatment of Stage III and IV carcinoma or radical cure.