Pathohistologic studies of serial sections of squamous cell cancer of the oral cavity and oropharynx following cytostatic induction therapy with bleomycin and cisplatin

: 43 patients with advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity and oropharynx were treated preoperatively by a combined chemotherapy with bleomycin and cisplatinum. After surgery histological serial sections of resection specimens were examined. In no case did the tumour tissues show a complete response. After induction chemotherapy 35 patients had histologically partial response - shrinkage by more than 50%. In these cases histological evaluation revealed tumour areas with pseudocysts containing on the one hand necrotic material and showing keratinisation on the other. A tumour was also found histologically under regrown epithelium in 10 cases where complete tumour remission was postulated clinically. Eight patients showed histologically a minor response - shrinkage below 50% with only little necrotic areas. Exophytic tumours responded better to chemotherapy than endophytic tumours. Endophytic tumours showed small isolated tumour areas in the periphery of the infiltrated tissues.