title: Prognostic significance of routine clinical and laboratory data in advanced head and neck cancers.
abstract: Predictive factors for toxicity and response to chemotherapy in patients with advanced head and neck cancer are seldom reported. Therefore, from a short series of patients with a histologically proven cancer, who were treated by a neo-adjuvant protocol with cisplatin and fluorouracil, routine clinical and laboratory data were investigated. ALT (alanine aminotransferase) and Hb (hemoglobin) appeared to be predictive for efficacy. By multivariate analysis (principal component analysis), these laboratory data were involved in two independent axes: one which was considered as "inflammatory" and the other as "hepatic". Initial obesity indices were associated with the former. The predictive variables for toxicity (i.e. age, serum creatinine level, weight loss and plasma cisplatin) were probably biased in this series. Nevertheless cisplatin concentration regularly increased in each cycle. Hence it was dependent on the rank of the course. According to this preliminary study, it would be of interest to conduct future investigations on acquired protein-energy malnutrition, as well as on selected soluble mediators of cellular and humoral immune response.
authors.affiliation: Service de Médecine Interne Oncologique, Institut Jean-Godinot, Reims,France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Himberlin
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Merol
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nasca
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Panis
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lebrun
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Desoize
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Legros
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Coninx
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000097:blood; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D002945:Cisplatin; D005472:Fluorouracil