Cisplatin and Continuous Infusion of Fluorouracil Followed by Radiation and Weekly Carboplatin in the Treatment of Locally Advanced Head and Neck Cancer: A Hellenic Cooperative Oncology Group Study

Induction chemotherapy followed by radiation has been extensively studied in an effort to improve local control and possibly overall survival of patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer. From June 1989 until May 1991, 39 patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) were treated with 3 cycles of induction chemotherapy, consisting of cisplatin (100 mg/m2 d 1) and Presented in part at the XV Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology Copenhagen, 1990, p. 63, and at the ECCO-6 meeting, Firenze, 1991, p. 146. fluorouracil (1000 mg/m2 d 2–6) followed by radiation potentiated by weekly administration of carboplatin (60 mg/m2). Surgery was performed in selected patients with residual disease after the combined modality approach. Four cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy with carboplatin (325 mg/m2) and bleomycin (15 u) were administered in those patients who demonstrated a partial response after locoregional treatment. There were 36 men and 3 women with a me...