OBJECTIVE: We present the response rate and adverse effects of our regimen of concurrent chemoradiotherapy with pirarubicin (THP) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) for oral and maxillary carcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifteen patients with oral (10 cases) or maxillary (5 cases) squamous cell carcinoma who underwent our concurrent chemoradiotherapy with the combination of intraarterial pirarubicin, intravenous continuous 5-fluorouracil, and radiation between March 2001 and February 2003 in our department were entered in this study. THP (5 mg/day) was infused into the lingual or maxillary artery one hour before radiation on days 1-5 and 8-12, while intravenous 5-FU (150 mg/m2/day) was instilled continuously on days 1-5, 8-12, 15-19, and 22-26 in accordance with the radiation schedule (2 Gy/day). Consequently, total doses of THP, 5-FU, and radiation were 50 mg, 3000 mg/m2 and 40 Gy, respectively. After the treatment series, response rate and adverse effects were evaluated. RESULTS: Response rate achieved 100% (12 cases exhibited a complete response and the remaining 3 a partial response). Notably, all 10 patients with oral carcinoma exhibited complete response. The main adverse effects were leucopenia (6/15) and mucositis (6/15), both of which were acceptable. CONCLUSIONS: This concurrent chemoradiotherapy is very useful for oral and maxillary carcinoma as a preoperative modality with remarkably high response rate and acceptable adverse events.
OBJECTIVE: We present the response rate and adverse effects of our regimen of concurrent chemoradiotherapy with pirarubicin (THP) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) for oral and maxillary carcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifteen patients with oral (10 cases) or maxillary (5 cases) squamous cell carcinoma who underwent our concurrent chemoradiotherapy with the combination of intraarterial pirarubicin, intravenous continuous 5-fluorouracil, and radiation between March 2001 and February 2003 in our department were entered in this study. THP (5 mg/day) was infused into the lingual or maxillary artery one hour before radiation on days 1-5 and 8-12, while intravenous 5-FU (150 mg/m2/day) was instilled continuously on days 1-5, 8-12, 15-19, and 22-26 in accordance with the radiation schedule (2 Gy/day). Consequently, total doses of THP, 5-FU, and radiation were 50 mg, 3000 mg/m2 and 40 Gy, respectively. After the treatment series, response rate and adverse effects were evaluated. RESULTS: Response rate achieved 100% (12 cases exhibited a complete response and the remaining 3 a partial response). Notably, all 10 patients with oral carcinoma exhibited complete response. The main adverse effects were leucopenia (6/15) and mucositis (6/15), both of which were acceptable. CONCLUSIONS: This concurrent chemoradiotherapy is very useful for oral and maxillary carcinoma as a preoperative modality with remarkably high response rate and acceptable adverse events.