title: Local control in advanced head and neck cancer by combined modalities of treatment.
abstract: From July 1979 to January 1983, 20 patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer were treated with a combination of chemotherapy and irradiation with or without surgery. A majority of the patients were in the age range of 45 to 54 years. Eighty-five percent of the patients were male. Seventy-five percent of the patients had oral cavity lesions, the tongue being the most common site. Eighty percent of the patients had T4 lesion and 35% had N3 disease in the neck. A majority of the patients had combination chemotherapy, including bleomycin, methotrexate, and cisplatinum (BMP). All patients received irradiation with megavoltage equipment and 55% of patients received a dose of 5,000 to 6,000 rads in 5-6 weeks time. The tumor was converted to be resectable in ten patients. Nine patients (45%) had the neck and primary tumor completely controlled, while six patients (30%) had partial control. Six of the ten patients who had resection had the tumor controlled at the primary site and neck. The median duration of follow-up is 12 months (range, 4-32 months). The median survival of the whole group of patients is 12.5 months. A brief review of the current literature is also done in this paper.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001761:Bleomycin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008875:Middle Aged; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage
chemical_list: D001761:Bleomycin; D002945:Cisplatin; D008727:Methotrexate