title: Analysis of treatment failure patterns. A Southwest Oncology Group Study.
abstract: If chemotherapy is effectively controlling microscopic distant metastases, then a reduced number of patients would experience treatment failure at distant sites. This study has used a group of 175 patients on a phase 3 Southwest Oncology Group trial for resectable advanced stage disease to test this hypothesis. In the group that failed, 52% of the standard group failed at distant sites as opposed to only 30% of the experimental group. This difference approaches statistical significance. These findings suggest that chemotherapy, although demonstrating some activity against microscopic distant disease, has not substantially altered the usual patterns of treatment failure for head and neck cancer. However, the assumption that the clinical responses noted with chemotherapy are having a positive influence on the frequency of occult distant disease was supported by our results.
authors: Department of Otolaryngology, Ohio State University, Columbus.
authors: D E
authors: DE
authors: Schuller
authors: D W
authors: DW
authors: Stein
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Metch
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001761:Bleomycin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011379:Prognosis; D011897:Random Allocation; D014750:Vincristine / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D001761:Bleomycin; D014750:Vincristine; D002945:Cisplatin; D008727:Methotrexate