title: Adjuvant chemotherapy in advanced head and neck cancer. An update.
abstract: Two courses of triple-agent chemotherapy were given to 47 patients with advanced head and neck cancer. All but one patient with a nasopharyngeal carcinoma had resectable stage III and IV squamous cell carcinoma. Eighty-eight percent of the patients responded to the chemotherapy with a 50 percent or greater decrease in tumor size. Forty-three patients underwent surgical resection and 19 were histologically upgraded to stage II or better (T less than 2 cm, N0). None of these 19 patients have relapsed, with follow-up ranging from 12 to 42 months. In 12 of the 47 patients, recurrent tumor developed within the first 18 months of follow-up.
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D001761:Bleomycin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000188:drug therapy; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010610:Pharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D014750:Vincristine / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D001761:Bleomycin; D014750:Vincristine; D002945:Cisplatin