Radiation Therapy and Combination Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Stage III or Stage IV Head and Neck Cancer
Radiation Therapy and Combination Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Stage III or Stage IV Head and Neck Cancer
PURPOSE: Randomized phase 2 trial to compare the effectiveness of chemo-radiation therapy (RT
 + cisplatin + 5-FU) with or without tirapazamine for the treatment of patients with stage III
 or IV squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck cancer (SCCHN).

 RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so
 they stop growing or die. Combining more than one drug may kill more tumor cells. Radiation
 therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells.

 Tirapazamine may increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy and radiation therapy by making
 tumor cells more sensitive to therapy.
Subjects were stratified according to pO2 values (high vs low), and randomized to 1 of 2
 treatment arms, differing by the addition of tirapazamine to the therapeutic regimen.
 Treatment consists of two 21-day cycles of induction chemotherapy, followed by radiotherapy
 (RT).

 Induction chemotherapy was cisplatin 100 mg/m2 per day administered over 4 hours on Study
 Days 1 and 22 (ie, 1st day of both induction cycles) with continuous infusion (CI) 5-FU at a
 dose of 1000 mg/m2 per day for 120 hours per cycle starting on Study Days 1 and 22 (ie, days
 1 to 5 of both induction cycles).

 Patients who achieve at least partial response proceeded to chemoradiotherapy (CRT)
 consisting of localized RT + cisplatin IV + 5-FU +/- tirapazamine. Location of RT was based
 on whether the site had a CR or PR. Radiotherapy began on day 43 (week 1), and continued for
 5.5 weeks. Subjects with no response or progressive disease proceeded to salvage surgery.

 A total of 63 patients were accrued for this study over approximately 5 years. 1 subject
 withdrew consent prior to treatment for personal reasons.
DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

 Biopsy proven squamous cell carcinoma of the following head and neck sites:

 Hypopharynx Oral cavity Larynx Oropharynx Nasal cavity Unknown primary Paranasal sinus

 Histologically proven poorly-differentiated carcinoma of the following head and neck sites:

 Hypopharynx Oral cavity Larynx Oropharynx Nasal cavity Paranasal sinus Stage III/IV (T0-4
 N1-3 M0-2) disease

 PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

 WBC at least 3,000/mm3 Bilirubin no greater than 2.0 mg/dL AST no greater than 100 U/L
 Creatinine no greater than 2.0 mg/dL Creatinine clearance at least 60 mL/min (patients in
 Group N2-N3) No second malignancy within 5 years except curatively treated nonmelanomatous
 skin carcinoma No prior RT or chemotherapy, except prior radiotherapy to primary tumor
 allowed Not pregnant or nursing. Negative pregnancy test required Effective contraception
 required of fertile women Subjects with unknown primary cancers who had metastatic cervical
 lymph nodes are eligible Signed informed consent previously approved by the Institutional
 Review Board.