Concomitant Cisplatin Significantly Improves Locoregional Control in Advanced Head and Neck Cancers Treated With Hyperfractionated Radiotherapy

Purpose To determine whether the application of two courses of cisplatin simultaneously with hyperfractionated radiotherapy improves the outcome in locally advanced and/or node-positive nonmetastatic carcinomas of the head and neck, compared with hyperfractionated radiotherapy alone. Patients and Methods From July 1994 to July 2000, 224 patients with squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (excluding nasopharynx and paranasal sinus) were randomly assigned to hyperfractionated radiotherapy (median dose, 74.4 Gy; 1.2 Gy twice daily) or the same radiotherapy combined with two cycles of concomitant cisplatin (20 mg/m2 on 5 days of weeks 1 and 5). The primary end point was time to any treatment failure; secondary end points were locoregional failure, metastatic relapse, overall survival, and late toxicity. Results There was no difference in radiotherapy between both treatment arms (74.4 Gy in 44 days). The full cisplatin dose was applied in 93% and 71% of patients during the first and second treatment cy...