Background: The results of treating advanced tumors in the head and neck region with radiotherapy alone are disappointing. Concurrent radiotherapy and chemotherapy may improve this situation. The treatment results of concurrent radiochemotherapy at the University of Rostock were analyzed retrospectively.
Patients and methods: From 1991 to 1996 92 patients with head and neck tumors were treated with concurrent radiochemotherapy (1.8 to 63 Gy; 70 mg/m2 carboplatin day 1 to 5 and 29 to 33) with palliative tumor resection (n = 37) or without surgical treatment (n = 55). Remission rate, overall survival and disease-free survival, local control and acute toxicity were analyzed.
Results: Six weeks after radiochemotherapy 56.5% of patients had a complete remission, 36% a partial remission and 7.5% "no change". With a median follow-up of 42 months (6 to 74 months) overall survival, disease-free survival and local control were 24.3%, 28.9%, 18.0% 5 years after treatment. All these criteria were significantly better in patients with palliative tumor resection compared to no surgical treatment (uni- and multivariate) and in patients with Stage III than in patients with Stage IV carcinomas (univariate), overall survival was significantly better in patients with Stage III (multivariate). A pretherapeutic Hb level below 7.0 mmol/l (11.27 g/dl) reduced the local control significantly (uni- and multivariate). Grade III and IV mucositis was detected in 10%, Grade III leucopenia in 12% of treated patients. Grade IV leucopenia and Grade III thrombopenia were observed in 1 patient each.
Conclusion: The toxicity of this treatment is tolerable. However, additional trials must be conducted before considering the palliative tumor resection as standard therapy.