Treatment of Stage IV(A-B) nasopharyngeal carcinoma by induction-concurrent chemoradiotherapy and accelerated fractionation: impact of chemotherapy schemes.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of different chemotherapy regimens in patients with advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated by induction-concurrent chemoradiotherapy.


METHODS
Between 1998 and 2003, 75 Stage IV(A-B) NPC patients were treated with 3 cycles of induction chemotherapy with cisplatin plus 5-fluorouracil (PF) (n = 41) or cisplatin plus gemcitabine (PG) (n = 34), followed by accelerated radiotherapy in concurrence with 2 cycles of cisplatin. In 18 (24%) patients, cisplatin was completely replaced by carboplatin in both concurrent cycles, mainly because of borderline renal functions.


RESULTS
The median follow-up was 3.6 years. The 3-year locoregional failure-free survival, progression-free survival, and overall survival of the whole group were 80%, 68%, and 80% respectively. No significant difference was found between patients treated with either induction regimens. However, patients with only carboplatin in the 2 concurrent cycles had significantly inferior 3-year locoregional failure-free survival (56% vs. 86%, p = 0.014), progression-free survival (39% vs. 72%, p = 0.001), and overall survival (61% vs. 87%, p = 0.046) when compared with the rest of the group. In multivariate analysis, the complete replacement of cisplatin by carboplatin during concurrent chemoradiotherapy was still an independent adverse factor in locoregional failure-free survival (hazard ratio, 3.662; 95% CI, 1.145-11.765; p = 0.029) and progression-free survival (hazard ratio, 3.390; 95% CI, 1.443-7.937; p = 0.005).


CONCLUSIONS
The more convenient PG regimen is as effective as the PF regimen as induction chemotherapy for patients with advanced NPC. Replacing cisplatin with carboplatin in the concurrent phase carries a poor prognosis.
Yau
T K
TK
Department of Clinical Oncology, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, Hong Kong, China. tkokyau@gmail.com
Lee
Anne W M
AW
Wong
Dominique H M
DH
Pang
Ellie S Y
ES
Ng
W T
WT
Yeung
Rebecca M W
RM
Soong
Inda S
IS
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant / Q000379:methods; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003841:Deoxycytidine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D019583:Dose Fractionation, Radiation; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D020266:Radiotherapy, Conformal / Q000379:methods*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D000093542:Gemcitabine
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D003841:Deoxycytidine; D002945:Cisplatin; D005472:Fluorouracil; D000093542:Gemcitabine