Rate of pathologic complete responses to docetaxel, Cisplatin, and Fluorouracil induction chemotherapy in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck
6/30/2006 Boston, MA R Haddad et al. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, June 1, 2006; 132(6): 678-81 Objective: To report the rate of pathological complete response after induction chemotherapy with the docetaxel, cisplatin, and fluorouracil (TPF) combination. Design: Retrospective cohort analysis. SETTING: Tertiary care academic cancer center, between June 1999 and May 2004. Patients: Seventy-two patients with newly diagnosed squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck; 68 (95%) of the patients had stage IV, locally advanced disease. Interventions: Three cycles of induction chemotherapy followed by a biopsy of the primary site. All patients subsequently underwent chemotherapy with 3 cycles of TPF. Main Outcome Measure: Rate of pathological complete response at the primary site after induction chemotherapy with 3 cycles of TPF. Results: Biopsy results were negative for cancer in 64 patients (89%) and positive in 8 patients (11%). The median follow-up was 2 years. In the positive biopsy result group, 2 (25%) of 8 patients died of disease vs 3 (4%) of 64 patients in the negative biopsy result group. Twenty-nine neck dissections were performed; results were positive in 7 patients (all alive with no evidence of disease) and negative in 22 patients (21 alive with no evidence of disease). The overall 2- and 5-year progression-free survival is currently projected at 85% and 85%, respectively; the overall 2- and 5-year survival, at 95% and 90%, respectively. Importantly, T4 presentation did not predict a positive biopsy result at the primary site or a positive neck dissection result (P = .60 [...]