Multimodality therapy for unresectable squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

Eighteen patients with unresectable Stage III or IV squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck were treated with induction therapy consisting of sequential methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil. This was followed by full course radiation therapy and radical neck dissection for those with residual neck disease. Those with local control were then treated with vinblastine, bleomycin, and cisplatin (VBP). Although 79% of patients achieved a partial or complete response to chemotherapy, only 50% of patients achieved local control. Marked mucositis limited the dose and schedule of radiation therapy. The methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil combination appears to be too toxic for multimodality therapy of advanced head and neck cancer.