Feasibility and outcome of a progressively accelerated concomitant boost radiotherapy schedule for head and neck carcinomas.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate toxicity and treatment outcome in patients with head and neck carcinomas treated with a modified bifractionated concomitant boost radiotherapy schedule.


METHODS
Eighty-five patients were treated from February 1991 to October 1995. According to clinical TN stage 23 tumors were T1, 33 T2, 20 T3, 9 T4, 44 N0, and 41 N1-N3. The primary tumor was located in the oral cavity in 6 patients, oropharynx in 36, larynx in 19, hypopharynx in 17, and nasopharynx in 7. The basic treatment delivered 50.4 Gy in 28 fractions, once a day, to the primary site and both sides of the neck. During the last 3.5 weeks, a boost to the initial gross disease was delivered in 13 fractions of 1.5 Gy each as a second daily fraction in a progressively accelerated schedule (total dose 69.9 Gy). Eighteen patients had a uni- or bilateral neck dissection, and 2 an adenectomy before radiotherapy. The median follow-up for the surviving patients was 28 months (range: 3-61 months).


RESULTS
All the patients completed the planned radiotherapy schedule. According to the RTOG scoring system, 57 patients (67%) presented with Grade 3-4 acute toxicity. Grade 3 dysphagia was observed in 20 patients (23.5%). Three patients died during the 3 months following the treatment. Among 73 patients evaluable for late effects, five developed Grade 3-4 complications. At 3 years actuarial loco-regional control was 67% and overall survival was 62%.


CONCLUSIONS
Although longer follow-up is needed to evaluate the definitive results, we conclude that this particular concomitant boost schedule is feasible and appears to be effective. While acute toxicity was greater than in monofractionated schedules, it was manageable, provided that supportive care measures were implemented in a timely fashion.
Allal
A S
AS
Division of Radiation Oncology, University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland.
Bieri
S
S
Miralbell
R
R
Marchal
F
F
Lehmann
W
W
Kurtz
J M
JM
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000453:epidemiology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000150:complications; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D016879:Salvage Therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome