title: Ineffectiveness of 5-fluorouracil and cis-platin as second-line chemotherapy in head and neck cancer.
abstract: Seventeen patients with heavily pretreated head and neck squamous cell carcinoma were submitted to a combination of 5-fluorouracil, 500 mg/m2 on days 1-4, and cis-platin, 50 mg/m2 on day 5, repeated every 21 days. Before administration of 5-fluorouracil, N5,N10-methyltetrahydrofolate, 200 mg/m2 i.v., was given. Only 1 partial response and 4 stable disease were observed, and the median survival of the entire group was 5 months. Although all patients had been heavily pretreated and a considerable percentage (6/17, 35.2%) of these showed resistance to first-line therapy, this combination seems to be ineffective as second-line therapy in head and neck cancer.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000556:secondary; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000556:secondary; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000188:drug therapy; D011379:Prognosis; D013763:Tetrahydrofolates / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D013763:Tetrahydrofolates; D002945:Cisplatin; C005984:5-methyltetrahydrofolate; D005472:Fluorouracil