Docetaxel, cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil (TPF)-based induction chemotherapy for head and neck cancer and the case for sequential, combined-modality treatment.

Since the publication of the Veterans Affairs study in the early 1990s, much has been learned regarding the role of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and more importantly, the role of combined-modality treatment with chemoradiation in the therapy of locally advanced head and neck cancer. There continues to be widespread variation and controversy in the timing, schedule, and intensity of chemotherapy and chemoradiation. Herein, we present the various approaches currently used in the year 2003 with a specific emphasis on the role of sequential combined-modality therapy combining chemotherapy, chemoradiotherapy, and surgery in the treatment of these malignancies.