We conducted a non-randomized retrospective study of the treatment of locally advanced head and neck squamous-cell carcinoma (LA-SCCHN), comparing induction chemotherapy (ICT) with cetuximab plus cisplatin and fluorouracil (FPE) with docetaxel plus cisplatin and fluorouracil (TPF), followed by radiotherapy with cetuximab. We non-randomly assigned 24 patients (all of whom had N stage N2 or N3 with no distant metastases and were candidates for organ preservation) to receive either FPE- or TPF-ICT, followed by radiotherapy with cetuximab. We evaluated the efficacy and safety. The overall response rate, one-year progression-free survival, and one-year overall survival were comparable between the FPE and TPF arms. Hematological toxicities during ICT were more pronounced in the TPF arm than in the FPE arm. No grade 4 or 5 adverse events were observed in the FPE arm. Patients with LA-SCCHN who received FPE-ICT had a comparable efficacy and fewer hematological toxicities compared with patients who received TPF-ICT. FPE-ICT may be a viable alternative to standard TPF-ICT for the treatment of LA-SCCHN.
