Treatment of base of tongue cancer with paclitaxel, ifosfamide, and cisplatinum induction chemotherapy followed by chemoradiotherapy.

Objectives/hypothesis: To assess the efficacy of paclitaxel, ifosfamide, and cisplatinum induction chemotherapy plus concurrent chemoradiation in the treatment of stage III and IV base of tongue cancer.

Study Design: Subgroup analysis of patients with base of tongue cancer enrolled in a single-institution prospective phase II trial, evaluating an organ-preservation approach in the treatment of locally advanced head and neck cancer.

Methods: Eighteen patients with tumors ranging from stage T2-T4, any N, or M0 were treated with a protocol of induction chemotherapy, with Taxol, ifosfamide, cisplatin every 21 days for up to three cycles.

Sinonasal neuroendocrine carcinoma in association with SIADH.

Background: Neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) is a rare malignancy of the nasal cavity or paranasal sinuses. The syndrome of inappropriate ADH secretion (SIADH) has not been previously reported in association with this cancer.

Methods: We report a 30-year-old woman with histologically confirmed neuroendocrine carcinoma who also demonstrated SIADH.

A phase II trial of weekly paclitaxel, 5-fluorouracil, and leucovorin as first-line treatment for metastatic breast cancer.

Purpose: This phase II multicenter trial evaluated the efficacy and toxicity of weekly paclitaxel, 5-fluorouracil, and leucovorin administered as first-line therapy for metastatic breast cancer.

Patients And Methods: The study enrolled 155 women with pathologically confirmed and measurable metastatic adenocarcinoma of the breast. Treatment consisted of paclitaxel 80 mg/m2, 5-fluorouracil 425 mg/m2, and leucovorin 20 mg/m2 administered weekly 4 x per 4-week cycle in the first 40 patients enrolled (group 1), and weekly 3 x per 4-week cycle in the subsequent 115 patients (group 2) enrolled.

Results of phase I-II trial of concomitant hyperfractionated radiation and oral etoposide (VP-16) in patients with unresectable squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

Purpose: The purpose of the current study was to investigate the efficacy of concomitant oral etoposide and hyperfractionated radiation for patients with unresectable head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Methods: A prospective nonrandomized phase I-II study was conducted using concomitant oral etoposide (50 mg/d for 13-27 days) and hyperfractionated radiotherapy (1.2 Gy twice daily to a total of 7440 rads) for patients with unresectable squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.