Abstract
Since neo-adjuvant therapy with intra-arterial infusion of CDDP/CBDCA and irradiation was introduced in our clinic, the cure rate of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck has improved greatly. However, not all patients have a good prognosis. We believe that one of the most important factors influencing patients' prognoses is the histological response to neo-adjuvant therapy. Seventy-five patients were divided into responders (47 patients) and nonresponders (28 patients) according to the histological findings of the resected materials. The former had a score of II B or more, and the latter II A or less according to Shimosato's classification.
Though there was no significant difference between two groups with respect to T, N and stage classifications or tumor cell differentiation. The cumulative survival rate, calculated by the method of Kaplan-Meier was significantly higher in the responder group than in the nonresponder group (p<0.05, logrank test). The histological grading of malignancy before treatment was significantly lower in the responder group. The difference in the tumor-host relationship score between the groups was particularly large.
