Radiosensitizing with cis-platin in advanced head and neck cancer. Results and problems

Treatment consisting of surgery and/or radiation therapy for patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck has frequently been successful in earlier stages of disease. Advanced and non-resectable tumor stages have a very poor cure rate. We initiated this trail to assess the role of the potentiation between cis-PDD and radiation previously reported in advanced head and neck tumors. Eighteen patients were investigated in this study. The treatment consisted of cis-PDD and hyperfractionated radiotherapy. Seventeen (94%) of the patients responded to the treatment regimen with either a complete regression (5/18 = 33%) or a partial regression (11/18 = 61%) of the tumor. Median survival was short and lasted 12+ months among complete responders and 8+ months among partial responders. However all patients did experience an increased and not tolerable incidence of delayed radiation toxicity such as mucositis combined with necrotic stomatitis. Both complications limited the compliance to the therapy. Because of these complications we had to stop the ongoing study.