title: A phase II study of cisplatin/ifosfamide in recurrent/metastatic undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma among young blacks in southern Africa.
abstract: Recurrent/metastatic, undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (UDNPC) is known to be chemosensitive but has rarely been studied in Phase II methodology. No studies concerning its chemoresponsiveness among southern Africans have been demonstrated to date. From 1990 through 1994, 18 African patients from the Johannesburg metropolitan area with recurrent (following radiotherapy failure) or primarily metastatic (bone) UDNPC were treated with ifosfamide (3 g/m), mesna, and cisplatin (50 mg/m) for 2 days. Three patients (15%) attained complete remission and eight (44%) partial remission, yielding an overall response rate of 59%. Median response duration was 28 weeks. Two patients (11%) had stable disease with symptomatic improvement and five (30%) progressed on therapy. Treatment was generally well tolerated but there was one treatment-related death (neutropenic sepsis). The combination of ifosfamide/cisplatin appears to be promising in UDNPC commonly seen in young patients in southern Africa. However, the duration of response still tends to be brief.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Haematology and Medical Oncology, Johannesburg General Hospital, Republic of South Africa.
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ruff
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Weaving
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fried
authors.forename: W R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Bezwoda
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D018906:Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D044383:Black People; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000556:secondary; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000556:secondary*; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007069:Ifosfamide / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D008297:Male; D015080:Mesna / Q000008:administration & dosage; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000188:drug therapy*; D009503:Neutropenia / Q000139:chemically induced; D012074:Remission Induction; D013019:South Africa; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D018906:Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating; D015080:Mesna; D002945:Cisplatin; D007069:Ifosfamide