[Evaluation of aclacinomycin-A in head and neck cancer]

Clinical effects of aclacinomycin-A (ACM) were evaluated in 30 patients with head and neck carcinoma. ACM was continuously administered intravenously at a dose of 20 mg/body for 4 days. After 2 weeks cessation the same courses were repeated. The maximum cumulative dose was 400 mg. Overall objective response rate was 53.3% for head and neck carcinoma, but, the effective rates were different according to histopathological classification of carcinoma. The most responsive tumor was adenocarcinoma. With squamous cell carcinoma the response rate was correlated with the degree of differentiation. Namely, 88.9% of anaplastic squamous cell carcinoma cases responded while the effective rate was only 14.3% for well and moderately differentiated types. In the evaluation of side effects, myelosuppresive toxicity, one of the dose-limiting factors in ACN trials, was slight using in this administration method. Also, any changes in electrocardiograms, occurring during ACM administration, were reversible and negligible. Manifestations of side effects with systemic ACM administration appeared to be less pronounced than those of adriamycin.