Chemotherapy for advanced head and neck cancer with the combination adriamycin, cyclophosphamide, and cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (II): preliminary assessment of a one-day vs. three-day drug regimen.
Fourteen patients with advanced head and neck carcinomas received a monthly intravenous regimen of Adriamycin, 40 mg/m2, day 1; cyclophosphamide, 400 mg/m2, day 3; and cis-diamminedichloroplatinum, 20 mg/m2/1 hour, days 1-3 (CAP-3). A regression rate of only 7% (0/12 squamous cell carcinomas; 1/2 adenocarcinomas) and a median survival of five months for all patients was accompanied by considerable gastrointestinal toxicity. These results strikingly diverge from a prior study that achieved a 64% (16/25) regression rate using comparable doses of each agent but was administered by rapid infusion on one day each month (CAP-1). Admittedly, the relatively impaired performance scores of the CAP-3 participants may have had some impact on these discouraging results. On the other hand, the maximum therapeutic efficacy of the combination Adriamycin, cyclophosphamide, and cis-platinum may well depend upon subtle interactions of cell cycle kinetics and dosage and schedule of each agent.
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
D004317:Doxorubicin; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D002945:Cisplatin