Concomitant adjuvant chemoradiotherapy with weekly low-dose cisplatin for high-risk squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck: a phase II prospecitve trial

AIMS: Several randomised trials have tested adjuvant regimens using concomitant high-dose cisplatin and radiotherapy to improve outcome in high-risk locally advanced squamous cell head and neck cancer (HNSCC), showing a substantial increase in locoregional control and disease-free survival, despite a higher and eventually detrimental toxicity profile. The aim of the present phase II single-stage prospective study was to investigate whether a weekly cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy regimen might be able to improve patients' compliance compared with standard-dose cisplatin with similar outcome results. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 2004 and November 2008, 54 patients with high-risk locally advanced HNSCC were enrolled on to this phase II trial. Patient characteristics were: median age 59.7 years, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 1 in 72% of patients and stage IV disease in 82%, extracapsular nodal spread in 67% and positive/close surgical margins in 37%. Patients received cisplatin (30 mg/m(2)) once a week for 7-8 weeks concurrent with external beam radiotherapy delivered with a median dose of 66.6 Gy (1.8 Gy each day; five fractions/week) on the primary site and 50 Gy (2 Gy each day) for the lower neck. RESULTS: Major acute toxicity of the combined treatment, defined as grade 3-4 mucositis, was observed in 35.2% of patients. No fatal complications occurred, with 81.5% of patients completing the planned regimen. Late reactions were mild (total 16% with a grade 3 dysphagia rate of 12%). The locoregional control rate was 82%; 5 year overall and disease-free survival were 63 and 62%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Concomitant adjuvant chemoradiotherapy with weekly cisplatin seems to be a feasible and well-tolerated therapeutic approach in 'unfit' patients. Clinical results seem to be at least comparable with those previously reported. However, to draw any definitive conclusion, large confirmatory phase III randomised trials are demanded.