Journal of Clinical Oncology, Vol 16, 3556-3562, Copyright © 1998 by American Society of Clinical Oncology
Full-dose reirradiation for unresectable head and neck carcinoma: experience at the Gustave-Roussy Institute in a series of 169 patients
R De Crevoisier, J Bourhis, C Domenge, P Wibault, S Koscielny, A Lusinchi, G Mamelle, F Janot, M Julieron, AM Leridant, P Marandas, JP Armand, G Schwaab, B Luboinski and F Eschwege
Departement de Radiotherapie, Institut Gustave-Roussy, Villejuif, France.
PURPOSE: To review our experience using full-dose external reirradiation
given with a curative intent for patients with unresectable head and neck
carcinoma (HNC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between January 1980 and December
1996, 169 patients who presented with unresectable nonmetastatic HNC in a
previously irradiated area were included in this series. The median time
between the first and the second irradiation was 33 months. Reirradiation
protocols were as follows: radiotherapy alone (65 Gy over 6.5 weeks at 2
Gy/d), 27 patients; Vokes protocol, ie, five to six cycles of radiotherapy
(median total dose, 60 Gy; 2 Gy/d) with simultaneous fluorouracil (5- FU)
and hydroxyurea, 106 patients; and bifractionated radiotherapy (median
total dose, 60 Gy; 2 x 1.5 Gy/d) with concomitant mitomycin, 5- FU, and
cisplatin, 36 patients. The median cumulative dose of the two irradiations
was 120 Gy. Eighty-five percent of the tumors were squamous cell carcinoma,
14% undifferentiated carcinoma of nasopharyngeal type, and 1%
adenocarcinoma. Forty-four percent were local recurrences, 23% nodal
recurrences, 14% both local and nodal, and 19% second primary tumors.
RESULTS: Mucositis grade 3 (World Health Organization [WHO]) was found in
32% and grade 4 in 14% of cases. Four patients presented with neutropenia
or thrombocytopenia (grade 3 or 4 WHO). Late toxicities (> 6 months)
were as follows: cervical fibrosis (grade 2 to 3 Radiation Therapy Oncology
Group [RTOG]), 41%; mucosal necrosis, 21%; osteoradionecrosis, 8%; and
trismus, 30%. Five patients died of carotid hemorrhage, apparently in
complete remission. Six months after the onset of reirradiation, 37% of
patients were in complete response. Patterns of failure were local only
(53%), nodal only (20%), metastatic only (7%), and multiple (20%). Median
follow-up time was 70 months. Overall survival rate (Kaplan-Meier) was 21%
(95% confidence interval [CI], 15% to 29%) at 2 years and 9% (95% CI, 5% to
16%) at 5 years. Median survival time was 10 months for the entire
population. Thirteen patients, of whom 12 were treated with the Vokes
protocol, were long-term disease-free survivors. In a multivariate
analysis, the volume of the second irradiation was the only factor
significantly associated with the risk of death: relative risk=1.8 (95% CI,
1.13 to 5.7) (P=.01). CONCLUSION: Full-dose reirradiation combined with
chemotherapy was feasible in patients with inoperable HNC. The incidence
and severity of late toxicity was markedly increased in comparison to that
observed after the first irradiation. Median survival was better than that
generally obtained using palliative chemotherapy alone. A small proportion
of patients were long-term disease-free survivors.
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