Abstract
The response to combined CP and radiation therapy (CP+R) for oral cancer, as compared with CMP chemotherapy alone, was reported and discussed.
Nine untreated patients (8 male, 1 female) were treated with CMP therapy, and 12 patients (10 male, 2 female) were treated with CP+R therapy in our hospital from 1986 to 1989. Their ages ranged from 43 to 74 years and the tumors of all patients were histologically diagnosed as spuamous cell carcinoma. Primary tumor sites included the tongue (5), the floor of the mouth (7), gingiva (8) and buccal mucosa (1) . There were 10 T2 primary tumors, 3 T3 primaries, and 8 T4 primaries. Seventeen patients had palpable cervical lymphadenopathy, all with N1 (6), N2 (11) and N3 (0) disease.
In the group treated with CMP therapy alone, CR was achieved in 3 cases and PR in 2 cases with a response rate of 56%. On the other hand, the combined CP+R therapy produced higher clinical efficacy than CMP therapy alone, in which CR was achieved in 6 cases and PR in 5 cases, with a response rate of 92%. Especially in CP+R therapy cases with 2 courses of CP and 40 Gy radiation, the CR rate rose to 50%. In terms of histological effects, response rates of CMP and CP+R were 43% and 80% respectively, and in CP+R therapy cases Grade III and Grade IV were 70% of response cases.
In histological malignancy, CMP therapy alone had no effect on high malignant cases above 16 malignancy points, but combined CP+R therapy had an effect for even high malignant cases as well as low.
The toxicities caused by both therapies were temporary and not severe.
As the result of this study, it was considered that the combined CP+R therapy was highly effective in local control for oral cancer as compared to CMP therapy alone. But its effects for nodal metastasis were not satisfactory, so there remained no effective therapy for them without surgery.
