The current role of systemic chemotherapy in the primary treatment of head and neck cancer

C-J Busch; S Tribius; P Schafhausen; R Knecht

doi:10.1016/j.ctrv.2015.02.002

The current role of systemic chemotherapy in the primary treatment of head and neck cancer

Cancer Treat Rev. 2015 Mar;41(3):217-21. doi: 10.1016/j.ctrv.2015.02.002. Epub 2015 Feb 7.

Authors

C-J Busch¹, S Tribius², P Schafhausen³, R Knecht⁴

Affiliations

¹ Dept. of Head and Neck Surgery and Otolaryngology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany. Electronic address: cjbusch@uke.uni-hamburg.de.
² Dept. of Radiotherapy and Oncology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany.
³ Dept. of Medical Oncology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany.
⁴ Dept. of Head and Neck Surgery and Otolaryngology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany.

PMID: 25687982
DOI: 10.1016/j.ctrv.2015.02.002

Abstract

The treatment of patients with locoregionally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC) is still evolving into the perfect combination of the different multidisciplinary approaches. Induction chemotherapy (ICT) prior to planned definitive local therapy is widely used in this patient population for over 30 years but it is still unclear how to incorporate ICT into multimodality treatment the best. It appears to have a role in selected clinical situations especially for those patients with high risk for distant metastasis. However, since ICT protocols in different studies varies a lot, a comparative and consistent statement of benefits is difficult. We show the recent developments including randomized trials comparing radiochemotherapy (RCT) and ICT followed by definitive RCT here. This review summarizes how ICT has developed over the years, provides critical remarks of recent developments, and discusses how clinical trials including ICT should be conducted in the future.

Keywords: Concurrent radiochemotherapy; Head and neck cancer; Induction chemotherapy; Organ preservation.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / drug therapy*
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / radiotherapy
Chemoradiotherapy
Head and Neck Neoplasms / drug therapy*
Head and Neck Neoplasms / radiotherapy
Humans
Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck