title: Do the conventional clinicopathologic parameters predict for response and survival in head and neck cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Neoadjuvant chemotherapy for head and neck carcinoma is still an important treatment modality. The prognostic value of patient and tumor parameters has been extensively evaluated in several trials, yielding mixed results. We report the prognostic factors emerging from a group of patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  From April 1986 to June 1992, 149 consecutive patients received cisplatin-5-fluorouracil-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy. After four courses of chemotherapy, patients underwent local-regional treatment with surgery, radiation or both. A variety of patient and tumor characteristics were evaluated as predictors for response to chemotherapy and survival.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The complete response, partial response and no response rates to NAC were 52%, 33% and 15%, respectively. No parameters predicted response to chemotherapy. At a maximum follow-up of 87 months, overall survival was 39% and disease-free survival was 49%. Variables shown to be predictors of survival in univariate analyses were age, performance status, histology, site, T, N, stage, and response to chemotherapy. Using the Cox regression analysis, only complete response to induction chemotherapy (P = 0.0006), performance status (P = 0.03), stage (P = 0.01), age (P = 0.03) and primary tumor site (P = 0.04) emerged as independent prognostic factors for survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Complete response to chemotherapy was confirmed as the strongest prognostic factor influencing survival. However, conventional clinicopathologic factors did not predict response, hence, potential prognostic biologic and molecular factors for response must be sought. At present, much effort must be made for the improvement of the complete response rate, which seems to be a requisite to prolong survival.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, University Hospital of Salamanca, Spain.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fonseca
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Cruz
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dueñas
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gómez
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Martín
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nieto
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Soria
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Muñoz
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Gómez
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Pardal
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012074:Remission Induction; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome