A preliminary result of concurrent chemoradiation with weekly cisplatin in elderly nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients.
CONCLUSIONS
A weekly regimen of cisplatin 30 mg/m2 as concurrent chemoradiation (CCRT) was effective in elderly nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients, with acceptable and reversible acute toxicity following CCRT therapy.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the efficacy, toxicity, and tolerability of a multi-modal treatment strategy in elderly NPC patients. Subsequent systemic adjuvant chemotherapy was administered to achieve systemic control.


METHODS
From December 2002 to December 2006, 26 NPC patients over 60 years of age who had stage IIB to IV NPC were evaluated in this retrospective analysis. The CCRT chemotherapy protocol consisted of eight weekly doses of cisplatin 30 mg/m2 administered in an outpatient setting. Adjuvant systemic chemotherapy consisted of four monthly cycles of cisplatin (20 mg/m2/day) plus 5-fluorouracil (1000 mg/m2/day) for 5 consecutive days. Study end points included treatment outcome, compliance, and toxicity.


RESULTS
The 2-year overall survival, disease-free survival, local control, and distant metastasis-free rate were 87%, 73%, 92%, and 76%, respectively. Over 80% of patients were able to take more than six doses of weekly cisplatin during CCRT; however, nearly half of the patients had grade 3 hematological toxicity during adjuvant therapy requiring treatment modification or cessation of further adjuvant therapy.
Ho
Hsu-Chueh
HC
Departments of Otolaryngology, Buddhist Dalin Tzu Chi General Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan.
Su
Yu-Chieh
YC
Lee
Moon-Sing
MS
Hsiao
Shih-Hsuan
SH
Hwang
Juen-Haur
JH
Lee
Ching-Chih
CC
Hung
Shih-Kai
SK
D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D002945:Cisplatin