title: Acute toxicity and preliminary clinical outcomes of concurrent radiation therapy and weekly docetaxel and daily cisplatin for head and neck cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the feasibility and efficacy of concurrent weekly docetaxel and radiation therapy as a definitive treatment for head and neck cancer (HNC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-two patients with primary HNC, who were treated with concurrent weekly docetaxel and radiation therapy, were analysed. The distribution of the disease stage was as follows: Stage II, 18 patients; Stage III, 3 patients; Stage IVA, 7 patients; Stage IVB, 3 patients; the patient of cervical lymph node metastasis with unknown primary tumor was not assessable. The average total dose of radiotherapy was 67.5 Gy. Docetaxel (10 mg/m(2), intravenously, once a week) was given to all patients up to four cycles, and cisplatin (6 mg/m(2), intravenously, five times a week) was also administered to all patients for up to 3 weeks from the beginning of the radiation therapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only in two patients did the radiotherapy need to be temporarily interrupted due to the development of acute mucositis. Grade 3 toxicity was observed in six patients. Grade 4 acute mucositis was seen in one patient. The response rate was 100%, and complete response (CR) was observed in 30 patients (94%). At the time of the analysis, the 2 year local control and relapse-free rates in the 30 patients showing CR were 90 and 76%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Concurrent weekly docetaxel and radiation therapy did not affect the compliance of the patients for the radiation therapy, indicating that the acute toxicities were within acceptable limits.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8511, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshizumi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kitamoto
authors.forename: Tetsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akimoto
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: Tetsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nonaka
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Katoh
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ninomiya
authors.forename: Kazuaki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chikamatsu
authors.forename: Nobuhiko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Furuya
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D000077143:Docetaxel; D019583:Dose Fractionation, Radiation; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D052016:Mucositis / Q000139:chemically induced; D020266:Radiotherapy, Conformal; D043823:Taxoids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D043823:Taxoids; D000077143:Docetaxel; D002945:Cisplatin