Tetsuro Takaoka

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy in maxillary sinus carcinoma with cisplatinum and peplomycin intraarterial infusion.

The purpose of this paper is to present our preliminary assessment of a new multimodal treatment including neoadjuvant chemotherapy with cisplatinum and peplomycin for maxillary sinus carcinoma. Fifteen patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the maxillary sinus carcinoma seen at Keio University Hospital, with Stage III and IV disease, were enrolled in this trial between January 1982 and January 1985. Regimen of chemotherapy was as follows: day 1, 50 mg/m2 of cisplatinum, intraarterial infusion over 2 hr, days 2-6, peplomycin at a dose of 5 mg/day, intraarterial infusion over 5 hr. Routinely, radiotherapy of 40 Gy by Linac was given to the primary site, concomitantly combined with 5-fluorouracil intraarterial injections only during the first 10 days, 2 weeks after the end of initial chemotherapy. Additional treatment was performed according to the extent of residual tumor. Response to initial chemotherapy revealed that complete response was achieved in 7 and partial response in 6 out of 15 patients with a response rate of 87%. Nine patients required no surgical intervention while 6 underwent a surgical resection. Median follow-up in this group of patients is 20 months. Thirty-month survival rate calculated by Kaplan-Meiers method was 83%. Chemotherapy toxicity was mild in most cases. This pilot study does not provide conclusive survival information, but the results obtained are encouraging.

Combination Chemotherapy With Cisplatin and Peplomycin in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck

Ninety-three patients with head and neck cancer were treated with combined cisplatin-peplomycin chemotherapy (CP therapy). Cisplatin (CDDP) 50 mg/m2 i.v. (intravenous) or i.a. (intraarterial) over 2 hr was given with hydration and mannitol diuresis on day 1. From day 2 through day 6, peplomycin (PEP) 5 mg/day was administered by 5-hr i.v. or i.a. infusion, or 24-hr continuous hypodermic injection. Of 85 who were evaluable, there were 22 complete responses or CR (26%) and 36 partial responses or PR (42%), with an overall response rate of 68%. Concerning of the route of administration, i.a. infusion obtained the higher CR and overall response rates than i.v. infusion. Effectiveness was clearly greater in previously untreated cases than in cases that had received some previous therapeutic modality. Looking at response in relation to the number of the courses, at least 2 courses of CP therapy are required. Side effects were recognized in 68 out of 87 evaluable cases (78%). Nausea and vomiting were the most common (62%). Renal toxicity was observed in 24% and was mostly transient. From the above results, it is considered that the CP therapy is effective, not only for the palliative treatment of advanced and recurrent cancer of the head and neck, but also as neo-adjuvant chemotherapy of stage III and IV cases.

Clinical trials on UFT in the treatment of head and neck cancer.

A new anticancer agent, UFT which is a mixture of 1-(2-tetrahydrofuryl)-5-fluorouracil and uracil in a molar ratio of 1:4 was administered orally at a dose of 600 mg/day every day. Forty-three patients were evaluable. Eight patients achieved a complete response and eight achieved a partial response with an overall response rate of 37.2%. In terms of response by histology, a response rate was 32.4% (11/34) in cases of squamous cell carcinoma and 75% (3/4) in cases of adenocarcinoma. A response rate by primary site was 57.1% in the nose and paranasal sinuses, 50.0% in the oropharynx and 30.0% in the oral cavity. A response rate was 36.1% in patients with prior treatment and 42.9% in patients with no prior treatment, but there was no statistical significance. Eight of 43 patients developed toxic effects. Most of them were mild such as anorexia, nausea, and stomatitis, but in one case of maxillary sinus carcinoma, severe bone marrow suppression was observed. UFT is a considerably effective and useful drug in the treatment of head and neck cancer. It is possible to increase cure rate by examining various usages of UFT.