34 patients with
head and neck cancer were treated with
carboplatin and
radiation therapy. Eligibility criteria included stage IV biopsy-proven
squamous cell carcinoma with measurable disease and no distant
metastases, Karnofsky performance status score of 60 or greater, age 18 years or more, no previous
radiation therapy and adequate hematological, renal, and hepatic function. There were 27 males and 7 females. Ages ranged from 44-70 years with a median of 57 years. Follow-up ranged from 11-34 months with a median of 21 months. Total
tumor doses ranged from 50-55 Gy with additional boosts of 15-20 Gy.
Carboplatin was given in a dose of 100 mg/m2 once weekly (26 patients) and 200 mg/m2 once every 2 weeks (8 patients), during the
radiation therapy course in all 34 patients. Each dose of
carboplatin preceded irradiation. 25 patients responded while 9 did not. There were 19 complete responses (CR) and 6 partial responses. 4/19 CR recurred and 5/9 non-responding patients died of disease. Mild to moderate
nausea and
vomiting were seen in 52.3% of patients and
mucositis was seen in 61.8% of patients. Moderate to severe hematological toxicity was seen in 35.3% of patients. Response rates and toxicity we observed during this study clearly show that the combination of
carboplatin and
radiation therapy is effective and suitable for the treatment of patients with stage IV
head and neck cancer.