title: [Chemotherapy of advanced head and neck tumors. A prospective randomized study comparing the effectiveness of chemotherapy alone to a chemo-radiotherapy procedure].
abstract: One of the most difficult problems of cancer treatment is the management of advanced squamous cell carcinomas of the upper respiratory tract. For several reasons the surgical resection of the primary lesion and the observed neck node metastases are limited to earlier tumour stages. Advanced and not resectable tumours of T3-4-N2-3-stages have very poor cure rates. Their treatment is based traditionally on radiotherapy and in recent years on combination chemotherapy programmes. 75 patients were entered into this prospective randomised study. 33 of these were treated with two cycles of chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy and 42 patients received three cycles of chemotherapy alone. Both therapy modalities induced tumour response rates of up to 75% but have done little to improve survival. The role of combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy in advanced squamous tumours is not yet well defined. In our group only patients who showed tumour response after chemotherapy actually benefited from radiotherapy.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001761:Bleomycin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011897:Random Allocation
chemical_list: D001761:Bleomycin; D002945:Cisplatin; D008727:Methotrexate
vernacular_title: Chemotherapie bei fortgeschrittenen Kopf-und Halstumoren. Eine prospektive randomisierte Studie zur Unterscheidung der Wirksamkeit einer Chemotherapie allein gegenüber einem chemo-radiotherapeutischen Vorgehen.