Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology Advance Access originally published online on November 7, 2005
Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology 2005 35(11):639-644; doi:10.1093/jjco/hyi175
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© 2005 Foundation for Promotion of Cancer Research
Acute Toxicity and Preliminary Clinical Outcomes of Concurrent Radiation Therapy and Weekly Docetaxel and Daily Cisplatin for Head and Neck Cancer
1 Department of Radiation Oncology and 2 Department of Otolaryngology, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Japan
For reprints and all correspondence: Tetsuo Akimoto, Department of Radiation Oncology, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-39-22 Showa-machi, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan. E-mail: takimoto{at}showa.gunma-u.ac.jp
Received June 28, 2005; accepted August 25, 2005
Objective: To examine the feasibility and efficacy of concurrent weekly docetaxel and radiation therapy as a definitive treatment for head and neck cancer (HNC).
Methods: Thirty-two patients with primary HNC, who were treated with concurrent weekly docetaxel and radiation therapy, were analysed. The distribution of the disease stage was as follows: Stage II, 18 patients; Stage III, 3 patients; Stage IVA, 7 patients; Stage IVB, 3 patients; the patient of cervical lymph node metastasis with unknown primary tumor was not assessable. The average total dose of radiotherapy was 67.5 Gy. Docetaxel (10 mg/m2, intravenously, once a week) was given to all patients up to four cycles, and cisplatin (6 mg/m2, intravenously, five times a week) was also administered to all patients for up to 3 weeks from the beginning of the radiation therapy.
Results: Only in two patients did the radiotherapy need to be temporarily interrupted due to the development of acute mucositis. Grade 3 toxicity was observed in six patients. Grade 4 acute mucositis was seen in one patient. The response rate was 100%, and complete response (CR) was observed in 30 patients (94%). At the time of the analysis, the 2 year local control and relapse-free rates in the 30 patients showing CR were 90 and 76%, respectively.
Conclusions: Concurrent weekly docetaxel and radiation therapy did not affect the compliance of the patients for the radiation therapy, indicating that the acute toxicities were within acceptable limits.
Key Words: radiation therapy chemotherapy docetaxel cisplatin acute toxicity