BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The primary objective of this study was to estimate the rate of tumour response to a cyclical hypofractionated palliative radiotherapy regimen (QUAD SHOT) in previously untreated patients with incurable squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Secondary objectives were to prospectively evaluate toxicity, quality of life (QoL) and survival in these patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The QUAD SHOT consisted of 14 Gy in four fractions, given twice a day and at least 6h apart, for 2 consecutive days. This regimen was repeated at 4 weekly intervals for a further two courses if there was no tumour progression. The QoL tool used was an abbreviation of the EORTC QLQ-C30. RESULTS: Thirty eligible patients (29 Stage IV, 20 performance status 2-3) had at least one treatment and 16 patients completed all three cycles. Sixteen patients (53%) had an objective response (2CR, 14PR) and a further seven had stable disease. Median overall survival was 5.7 months, median progression free survival was 3.1 months. The treatment was very well tolerated, with improved QoL in 11 of 25 evaluable patients (44%). CONCLUSION: The QUAD SHOT regimen is an effective palliative treatment with minimal toxicity and a good response rate, which impacts positively on patients' QoL.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The primary objective of this study was to estimate the rate of tumour response to a cyclical hypofractionated palliative radiotherapy regimen (QUAD SHOT) in previously untreated patients with incurable squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Secondary objectives were to prospectively evaluate toxicity, quality of life (QoL) and survival in these patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The QUAD SHOT consisted of 14 Gy in four fractions, given twice a day and at least 6h apart, for 2 consecutive days. This regimen was repeated at 4 weekly intervals for a further two courses if there was no tumour progression. The QoL tool used was an abbreviation of the EORTC QLQ-C30. RESULTS: Thirty eligible patients (29 Stage IV, 20 performance status 2-3) had at least one treatment and 16 patients completed all three cycles. Sixteen patients (53%) had an objective response (2CR, 14PR) and a further seven had stable disease. Median overall survival was 5.7 months, median progression free survival was 3.1 months. The treatment was very well tolerated, with improved QoL in 11 of 25 evaluable patients (44%). CONCLUSION: The QUAD SHOT regimen is an effective palliative treatment with minimal toxicity and a good response rate, which impacts positively on patients' QoL.
Authors: Todd A Pezzi; Abdallah S R Mohamed; Tommy Sheu; Pierre Blanchard; Vlad C Sandulache; Stephen Y Lai; Maria E Cabanillas; Michelle D Williams; Christopher M Pezzi; Charles Lu; Adam S Garden; William H Morrison; David I Rosenthal; Clifton D Fuller; G Brandon Gunn Journal: Cancer Date: 2016-12-27 Impact factor: 6.860
Authors: Kavita V Dharmarajan; Shayna E Rich; Candice A Johnstone; Lauren M Hertan; Randy Wei; Lauren E Colbert; Joshua A Jones; Arif H Kamal; Christopher A Jones Journal: J Palliat Med Date: 2018-02-12 Impact factor: 2.947
Authors: Paul B Romesser; Oren Cahlon; Eli D Scher; Eugen B Hug; Kevin Sine; Carl DeSelm; Jana L Fox; Dennis Mah; Madhur K Garg; John Han-Chih Chang; Nancy Y Lee Journal: Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys Date: 2016-02-17 Impact factor: 7.038
Authors: Benjamin H Lok; Ginger Jiang; Stanley Gutiontov; Ryan M Lanning; Sudeepta Sridhara; Eric J Sherman; Chiaojung Jillian Tsai; Sean M McBride; Nadeem Riaz; Nancy Y Lee Journal: Oral Oncol Date: 2015-08-14 Impact factor: 5.337