• 11/9/2006
  • New York, NY
  • Martha Kerr
  • CancerPage.com

In a surprising finding, radiation oncologists reported that intravenous delivery is a safe, effective and much more manageable way to administer chemoradiation to patients with inoperable head and neck cancers.

Intra-arterial delivery need not be the only option, Dutch researchers told attendees of the 48th annual meeting of the American Society of Therapeutic Radiation and Oncology held here this week in Philadelphia.

Dr. Coen Rasch of The Netherlands Cancer Institute/Antoni van Leeuwenhouk Huis in Amsterdam described his team’s study of 240 patients with inoperable head and neck cancers who were assigned to either intravenous or intra-arterial delivery of cisplatin plus radiation.

Dr. Rasch said both approaches were equally effective.

“The initial studies showed that intra-arterial administration is better,” Dr. Rasch said. “Surprisingly, we found no differences at all” between the two delivery modes.

“The incidence of side effects was different with each approach,” he said. There were fewer adverse renal effects with intra-arterial delivery, but a higher incidence of TIAs.”

“Intravenous chemoradiation is now the standard of care at our institution,” Dr. Rasch said.

There are clinical situations where one approach may be preferable to the other. “Intra-arterial delivery is better for lateralized tumors, by infusing the artery on that side,” Dr. Rasch advised.

He added that a large tumor volume may also be better treated with intra-arterial delivery of treatment, but the data on that and the full effects on the kidneys is still being examined.