title: Taxane-cisplatin-fluorouracil as induction chemotherapy for advanced head and neck cancer: a meta-analysis of the 5-year efficacy and safety.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of taxane (docetaxel or paclitaxel), cisplatin, and fluorouracil (Tax-PF) with cisplatin plus fluorouracil (PF) regimen by a meta-analysis of data retrieved from the literature.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seven randomized clinical trials were identified, which included patients with advanced head and neck cancer who underwent induction chemotherapy with either a Tax-PF or PF protocol. The outcomes included the 3-year and 5-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), overall response rate (ORR) and different types of adverse events.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 3-year OS rate (HR: 1.14; 95% CI: 1.03 to 1.25; P = 0.008), 3-year PFS rate (HR: 1.24; 95% CI: 1.08 to 1.43; P = 0.002), 5-year OS rate (HR: 1.30; 95% CI, 1.09 to 1.55;P = 0.003), 5-year PFS rate (HR: 1.39; 95% CI, 1.14 to 1.70; P = 0.001) and ORR to chemotherapy (OR 1.66; 95% CI, 1.35 to 2.05; P < 0.001) of the patients in the Tax-PF group were statistically superior to those in the PF group. In terms of toxicities, the incidence of febrile neutropenia (OR 2.36; 95% CI, 1.62 to 3.46; P < 0.001), alopecia (OR 8.22; 95% CI, 3.99 to 16.92; P < 0.001), diarrhea (OR 1.57; 95% CI, 1.05 to 2.36; P = 0.03) and leukopenia (OR 2.79; 95% CI, 1.86 to 4.21; P < 0.001) was higher in the Tax-PF group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Tax-PF induction chemotherapy improved PFS and OS, and the ORR was better as compared to PF-based therapy regimens at the cost of a higher incidence of adverse events.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12200 Berlin, Germany.|Department of Histology and Embryology, Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Wenzhou medical University, Wenzhou, China.
authors.forename: Xu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12200 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Chenming
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Gynecology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Mitte and Benjamin Franklin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Kaufmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12200 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Albers
keywords: Cisplatin; Docetaxel; Fluoruracil; Head and neck carcinoma; Induction chemotherapy; Survival