Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by limited surgery in a mouse model of head and neck cancer.
BACKGROUND
This study evaluated the effect of limited surgery following neoadjuvant chemotherapy compared to radical surgery in SCC VII (squamous cell cancer) tumor-bearing syngeneic C3H/HeJ mice.


METHODS
Mice showing a tumor response to cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil therapy were divided into three groups: radical surgery, with a 5 mm margin from the original tumor, group (A); limited surgery of 5 mm margin from the residual tumor, group (B); and very limited surgery with no margin from the residual tumor, group (C). The number of mice was 13 (group A), 12 (group B) and 12 (group C).


RESULTS
No recurrence developed except in one mouse in group C. Three mice died in group A, one in group B and one in group C from perioperative complications. By intent-to-treat analysis, the survival was not significantly different among the three groups (p = 0.64), or between group A and B (p = 0.33).


CONCLUSIONS
The outcome of limited surgery was comparable to radical surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the mouse model of head and neck cancer.
Lee
Jae Jin
JJ
Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Chongno-gu, Seoul, 110-744, Korea.
Hah
Jeong-Hun
JH
Im
Seock-Ah
SA
Kim
Si-Young
SY
Sung
Myung-Whun
MW
Kim
Kwang Hyun
KH
Heo
Dae Soeg
DS