Chemotherapy with low doses of radiation followed by definitive radiotherapy for advanced unresectable carcinoma of the head and neck.

Thirty-six patients with advanced unresectable carcinoma of the head and neck were treated with a combination of three courses of chemotherapy and low doses of radiation, followed after 3 weeks by definitive irradiation. Each course was repeated every 3 weeks with the following sequence. Cisplatin (20 mg/m2) was given in a 20-minute infusion, followed by a 2-hour infusion of 5-fluorouracil (400mg/m2), on days 1,2,5, and 6. Low doses of radiation were given on days 3 and 4, followed by a 2-hour infusion of 5-fluorouracil (400 mg/m2) with a dose of 3 Gy on the target volume. For definitive irradiation, a total dose of 60 Gy was delivered in 30 fractions within 6 weeks. The complete response rate reached 30%, and the partial response rate was 30%. With a median follow-up of 11 months, median overall survival was 10 months; median survival was 21 months for patients with complete response, 9 months for patients with partial response, and 6 months for those with no response (P=.02).