title: Postoperative radiotherapy with concurrent cisplatin appears to improve locoregional control of advanced, resectable head and neck cancers: RTOG 88-24.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Despite aggressive surgery and postoperative radiation therapy, only 30% of patients who have advanced, potentially resectable carcinomas of the head and neck survive for 5 years. In the hope of improving this situation we studied the effect of postoperative radiotherapy delivered concurrently with cisplatin.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients who had Stage IV tumors and/or involved surgical margins received 60 Gy in 30 fractions over 6 weeks plus 100 mg/m2 of cisplatin on radiotherapy days 1, 23 and 43. Fifty-two patients participated in this trial and 51 were evaluated. Forty-three (84%) patients had pathologic T3 or T4 disease, 43 (84%) had Stage IV disease, and 27 (53%) had histologically involved surgical margins.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Severe and life-threatening toxicities occurred in 20% and 12% of patients, respectively; the most common drug-related toxicities were leukopenia, anemia, nausea, and vomiting. Seventeen patients (43%) remain alive with no evidence of disease. Four patients (8%) died with no evidence of neoplastic disease, and one patient has died of a second independent malignancy. By actuarial analysis at 3 years, 48% of patients are alive, 81% have locoregional control of disease, and 57% are free of distant metastases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Based on comparison with similar patients treated in a prior Radiation Therapy Oncology Group/Intergroup trial (RTOG), we conclude that postoperative radiotherapy with concurrent cisplatin may improve locoregional control rates and should be prospectively tested.
authors.affiliation: Providence Cancer Center, Southfield, MI 48075, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al-Sarraf
authors.forename: T F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Pajak
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Byhardt
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Beitler
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Salter
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Cooper
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000517:prevention & control; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011838:Radiation-Sensitizing Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D017211:Treatment Failure
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D011838:Radiation-Sensitizing Agents; D002945:Cisplatin