Intraarterial chemotherapy as neoadjuvant treatment of oral cancer

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with primary squamous cell carcinomas of the oral cavity should lead to high remission rates whilst having low morbidity. Efficacy can also be enhanced by treating small tumour stages. As part of a multi-modality therapy of all stages of primary oral cavity carcinoma, 103 patients were treated with neoadjuvant intraarterial (i.a.) chemotherapy. After regimen A with 100 mg/m2 i.a. cisplatin followed by 5 day continuous intravenous infusion of 5-fluorouracil (1 g/m2 per day) in 36 patients, an i.a. high pressure chemo-perfusion with a dose of 150 mg/m2 cisplatin was used with simultaneous intravenous infusion of 9 g/m2 sodium thiosulfate (regimen B, 67 patients). Subsequent treatment comprised radical surgery and simultaneous radiochemotherapy with docetaxel. Partial and complete remissions were found in 80.6% (regimen A) and 67.2% (regimen B) of cases, tumour growth was inhibited in 11.1% and 31.3%. Very low toxicity could be shown especially in regimen B. 66.7% and 74.6% of patients could be operated on radically. Survival rate was 61.1% (regimen A, 22.7 months of mean observation time) and 79.1% (regimen B, 8.4 months). Patients with high-grade remissions seemed to have a survival advantage. Neoadjuvant i.a. chemotherapy with cisplatin, especially in its high dose variant, is a practical therapeutic tool for the treatment of all stages of primary oral cavity carcinoma.