Thirteen patients with oral squamous cell carcinomas, consisting of 11 previously untreated and 2 recurrent cases, were treated with cisplatin (CDDP 50-1, 000 mg/m2) on Day 1 followed by 96-or 120-hour continuous infusion of 5-fluorouracil (750-1, 000 mg/body/day) as one course of therapy. Each case received one or two courses. The 11 previouslyuntreated patients initially underwent this treatment regimen as preoperative chemotherapy. The effect of treatment and associated complications were as follows:
1. Complete response (CR) was achieved in 2 and partial response (PR) in 7 of the 13 cases. The overall response rate was 69.2%.
2. The 2 recurrent cases did not respond to treatment. The response rate in the 11 previously untreated cases was 81.8%.
3. The principal adverse reaction was gastrointestinal disturbances, but symptoms were able to be controlled. Signs of hematologic toxicity and renal disturbances were mild and did not preclude the continuance of therapy.
4. Eight of the 9 responders have not shown signs of recurrence 4-21 months after initiating therapy.
The results of this study indicated that combined chemotherapy with cisplatin and 5-FU was highly effective for the local control of oral squamous cell carcinomas.