• 6/15/2006
  • Iowa City, IA
  • staff
  • CancerConsultants.com

Results from a phase III trial indicate that the addition of Taxotere (docetaxel) to Platinol® (cisplatin) and fluorouracil (5-FU) in induction therapy for advanced head and neck cancer improves survival over cisplatin/fluorouracil. These results were presented at a special session at the 42nd annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

Flurouracil and cisplatin are a standard chemotherapy combination for the treatment of head and neck cancers. Recent research, however, has focused on the addition of a third agent such as a taxane to this regimen in order to improve outcomes in patients with this disease.

Researchers from Harvard recently conducted a phase III trial to evaluate the addition of Taxotere to cisplatin/florouracil in the treatment of advanced head and neck cancer. This trial included 538 patients with stages III-IV squamous cell carcinomas of the larynx, pharynx or oral cavity. Patients were randomized to induction Taxotere/cisplatin/fluorouracil or cisplatin/fluorouracil (control group) as induction therapy, followed by chemoradiation and in some cases, surgery. The median follow-up time is 42 months.

– Three-year survival was 62% for the Taxotere arm, compared with 48% for the control group (p=0.0058).

– The median survival for patients in the Taxotere arm was 70.6 months, compared with 30.1 months for the control group.

– Side effects were mainly associated with radiation therapy.

The researchers stated that this three-drug regimen of Taxotere/cisplatin/fluorouracil used as induction therapy should now be considered a standard reference arm from which to compare future treatment regimens in advanced head and neck cancer.

Reference:
Posner MR, Herchock D, Le Lann L, et al. TAX 324: a phase III trial of TPF vs PF induction chemotherapy followed by chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced SCCHN: preliminary results of GORTEC 2000-1. Proceedings from the 42nd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Atlanta, Ga. June 2006. Special session.