Oral 5-FU alternatives for the treatment of head and neck cancer
Vokes, E.E.; Brockstein, B.E.; Humerickhouse, R.; Haraf, D.J.
Oncology 12(10 Suppl 7: 35-38
1998
ISSN/ISBN: 0890-9091 PMID: 9830623 Document Number: 495702
The common clinical presentations of head and neck cancer include early (stage I or II) disease, locally or regionally advanced (stage III or IV, M0) disease, and recurrent or metastatic disease (< 5% of patients). Patients with stage I-II disease are usually cured following surgery or radiotherapy; those with more advanced disease, however, will benefit from chemotherapy--either as induction treatment to avoid surgery and preserve the larynx, or as simultaneous chemoradiotherapy for patients with locoregionally advanced disease; patients presenting with metastatic disease and those with recurrent disease receive chemotherapy as the primary treatment modality. The clinical experience with oral chemotherapy in head and neck cancer patients is limited, partly because of the anatomic location of the disease and complications of local treatment. At the University of Chicago, several regimens that include oral chemotherapy have been studied, including infusional 5-fluorouracil/oral hydroxyurea/radiotherapy, and eniluracil/oral 5-FU/radiotherapy. These trials and others assessing oral agents in the treatment of patients with head and neck cancer will be discussed.