Summary
A group of 60 patients with advanced head/neck cancer were treated with high-dose folinic acid (500 mg/m−2/week−1) plus 5-fluorouracil (400 mg/m−2/week−1 on day 1, and cisplatin (20 mg/m−2/week−1) 24 h after folinic acid infusion was completed. Out of 55 evaluable patients, 10 patients (18%) experienced a complete response with a mean duration of 11.4+ months, 25 patients had a partial response (45%) of 6.7+ months, 6 patients (11%) showed a stabilization of 4.8+months, and 14 (25%) progressed. The overall response rate was 63.6% (95% confidence limits 56.5%–69.5%). Patients pretreated with radiotherapy had a 67% overall response rate, while those pretreated with chemotherapy showed a 54% overall response rate. All patients with cancer of the oropharynx had a major response, while patients with cancer of the oral cavity had the lowest response rate. The mean survival of patients who attained a complete response was 14.5+ months. Partial responders had a mean survival of 10.6+ months, while patients who progresses survived a mean of 3.6+months. The treatment has been very well tolerated with few cases of grade 3 gastrointestinal toxicity. Grade 1–2 leukopenia was recorded in 64% of cases, grade 1–2 nausea/vomiting in 85%. In one case therapy was stopped because of persistent diarrhoea.
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Gebbia, V., Russo, A., Gebbia, N. et al. High-dose folinic acid and 5-fluorouracil plus cisplatin on a weekly schedule in the treatment of advanced cancer of the head and neck. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 118, 458–462 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01629430
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01629430