Combination chemotherapy with CDDP and 5-FU in head and neck cancer

Combination chemotherapy with CDDP and 5-FU was performed in 19 patients with evaluable head and neck cancer and 2 CR patients and 7 PR patients were obtained; thus the response rate was 47.4%. Histologically, the present therapy is considered to be especially effective against well differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (83.3%). The present therapy is considered to be useful as a neo-adjuvant chemotherapy (75.0%), but it is desirable to perform at least 2 courses of treatment. The side effects observed were nausea, vomiting, anemia, leukocytopenia and alopecia, etc., and most of them were reversible. However, there were 2 patients in which the continuation of chemotherapy was impossible due to renal disorders.