Pilot Study on the Therapeutic Effects of Cisplatin and Docetaxel Superselective Intra-Arterial Infusion and Systemic 5-Fluorouracil Combination Chemotherapy for Stage II Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Tongue with Greater than 4 mm Depth of Invasion
Author(s): Shigeo Tanaka*, Maya Oshima, Hideo Niwa, Yasuhide Makiyama, Kayo kuyama, Hirayama and Masamichi Komiya
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the effects of superselective intra-arterial infusion of cisplatin and docetaxel and systemically administered 5-fluorouracil combination chemotherapy (i.e., TPF chemotherapy) in patients with stage II squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue with greater than 4 mm depth of invasion (DOI). Eight patients diagnosed with stage II squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue with DOI >4 mm between December 2007 and July 2017 who underwent TPF chemotherapy at Nihon University Hospital at Matsudo were examined retrospectively. Six of the eight patients were managed under wait-and-see policy after chemotherapy and two patients underwent surgery for the primary lesion after chemotherapy. The disease-specific survival (DFS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates of the six patients managed under the wait-and-see policy were compared using the Kaplan–Meier method, and delayed lymph node metastasis was monitored. Both the response and complete response rates were 100% in all patients. The median follow-up period of the six patients was 2915 days. The 5-year DFS and RFS (organ-preserving) rates were 83.3%. The median follow-up period for the two patients who underwent surgery was 2614 days, and primary lesion recurrence was not observed. Delayed metastasis to the cervical lymph nodes was not observed in any of the eight patients. No severe adverse events related to chemotherapy were noted. This study demonstrated the high therapeutic potential of the TPF chemotherapy for stage II squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue with DOI >4 mm.