Weekly cisplatin administration concurrent with radiation therapy for locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma

• Published in: International journal of clinical oncology 2005-06, Vol.10 (3), p.201-203
• Main Authors: Isobe, Koichi, Uno, Takashi, Aruga, Takashi, Kawakami, Hiroyuki, Ueno, Naoyuki, Hanazawa, Toyoyuki, Okamoto, Yoshitaka, Ito, Hisao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Antineoplastic Agents - administration & dosage; Antineoplastic Agents - adverse effects; Antineoplastic Agents - therapeutic use; Cancer; Carcinoma - drug therapy; Carcinoma - radiotherapy; Carcinoma - surgery; Chemotherapy; Cisplatin - administration & dosage; Cisplatin - adverse effects; Cisplatin - therapeutic use; Combined Modality Therapy; Disease-Free Survival; Effectiveness; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms - drug therapy; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms - radiotherapy; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms - surgery; Neck Dissection; Oncology; Platinum; Radiation; Toxicity
• ISSN: 1341-9625; 1437-7772
• DOI: 10.1007/s10147-004-0471-8

Radiation therapy (RT) with concurrent and adjuvant chemotherapy has been a widely accepted treatment for patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). We administered 40 mg/m2 cisplatin (CDDP) weekly, concurrently with RT, to six consecutive patients with locoregionally advanced NPC to evaluate its toxicity and efficacy. The median number of courses of CDDP administration was 4.5 and the median radiation dose was 69.7 Gy. Grade 3 leukopenia was observed in three patients. All but one patient experienced grade 3 or 4 skin reactions, pharyngitis, or dysphagia. All but one patient achieved a complete response, and the remaining patient received radical neck dissection for persistent cervical lymphadenopathies, which contained no cancer cells. All six patients were disease-free at last contact, with a median follow up of 23.5 months. This regimen is well tolerated in patients with locoregionally advanced NPC.