title: Neoadjuvant intra-arterial chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy and surgery in patients with advanced maxillary sinus cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The optimal treatment of advanced maxillary sinus cancer has been challenging for several decades. Intra-arterial chemotherapy (IAC) for head and neck cancer has been controversial. We have analyzed the long-term outcome of neoadjuvant IAC followed by radiation therapy (RT) and surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-seven patients with advanced maxillary sinus cancer were treated between 1989 and 2002. Five-fluorouracil (5-FU, 500 mg/m(2)) was infused intra-arterially, and followed by RT (total 50.4 Gy/28 fractions). A planned surgery was performed 3 to 4 weeks after completion of IAC and RT.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At a median follow-up of 77 months (range, 12 to 169 months), the 5-year rates of overall survival in all patients were 63%. The 5-year rates of overall survival of stage T3/T4 patients were 70.0% and 58.8%, respectively. Seven of fourteen patients with disease recurrence had a local recurrence alone. The 5-year actuarial local control rates in patients with stage T3/T4, and in all patients were 20.0%, 32.3%, and 27.4%, respectively. Overall response rate after the completion of IAC and RT was 70.3%. During the follow-up, seven patients (25.9%) showed mild to moderate late complications. The tumor extent (i.e., the involvement of either orbit and/or base of skull) appeared to be related with local recurrence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Neoadjuvant IAC with 5-FU followed by RT and surgery may be effective to improve local tumor control in the patients with advanced maxillary sinus cancer. However, local failure was still the major cause of death. Further investigations are required to determine the optimal treatment schedule, radiotherapy techniques and chemotherapy regimens.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Biomedical Research Institute, Pusan National University Hospital, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Won Taek
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jiho
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nam
authors.forename: Yong Kan
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Ki
authors.forename: Ju Hye
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Dong Hyun
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Dahl
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Kyu Sup
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Hwan Jung
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Roh
authors.forename: Dong Won
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Kim
keywords: Intra-arterial infusion; Maxillary sinus neoplasms; Radiation therapy; Surgery