SIMULTANEOUS HYPERFRACTIONATED RADIOTHERAPY WITH CISPLATIN IN INOPERABLE HEAD AND NECK CANCER PATIENTS

Between the dates of May 1992 and June 1993, 20 cases of inoperable head and neck cancer were given simultaneous hyperfractionated radiotherapy and cisplatin in Ege University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiation Oncology. Eleven of the cases had nasopharyngeal carcinoma, 7 had larynx cancer, 1 had pyriform sinus and 1 had hypopharynx cancer. One of the cases were stage II, 3 were stage III, 16 were stage IV. Cisplatin-75mg/m2 was given starting from the first day of radiotherapy, 3 times with a 3-week interval. Total irradiation dose was 72 Gy (1.2 Gy/fr, 2 times/day). Early partial and complete, late partial and complete response rates were 45%, 55% 20% and 80% respectively. When stage IV cases were evaluated separately early partial and complete, late partial and complete response rates were 53%, 47%, 23.5% and 76.5% respectively. In cases with nasopharyngeal carcinoma early partial and complete, late partial response rates were 36%, 64% and 9% respectively. Late complete response rate increased to 91%. Follow up time was given 13-26 months with a median of 21.5 months. Among the whole group overall survival at 1 and 2 years was 90% and 68.6% and disease free survival was found to be 75% and 61.9% respectively.