Chemotherapy in buccal mucosa cancer

Twenty-five patients with previously untreated squamous cell carcinoma of the buccal mucosa were treated by two chemotherapeutic regimens. The first regimen consisted of administration of methotrexate (50 mg) intravenously at weekly intervals for 3 weeks. The second regimen consisted of bleomycin and methotrexate (BLM-MTX): Bleomycin 30 mg was given intravenously twice weekly and methotrexate 25 mg intravenously twice weekly for 2 1/2 and 2 weeks, respectively. Twenty-two of 25 cases were subjected to radical surgery following chemotherapy. When the two groups are compared, the number of cases responding to chemotherapy is about equal (70% and 73.4%). The observations suggest that the buccal cancers are highly sensitive to initial treatment with chemotherapy, and the authors recommend its use as preoperative adjunct therapy in patients who present with stage III and IV (Mo) disease.