retinol-palmitate and Tongue-Neoplasms

23 patients, with advanced oral cavity cancer, radically unresectable or relapsing after surgery and/or radiotherapy, were treated with a chemotherapeutic regimen, including 5-Fluorouracil 1000 mg/m2 and cis-platinum 20 mg/m2 for 5 consecutive days. Retinol palmitate was administered at the dose of 15.000 IU b.i.d. in chemotherapy intervals. In complete or partial responders, radiotherapy was planned on primary tumor. Chemotherapy treatment was well tolerated with G3 haematological toxicity in 30% of patients and G2 gastrointestinal toxicity in 20% of patients. Seven patients (31.8%) had a complete response (CR), 7 patients had a partial response (PR) (31.8%), stable disease was observed in 3 patients (SD) (13.7), while 5 patients progressed (PD) (22.7%). Median time to treatment failure was 5.6 months. Median survival, from start of chemotherapy, was 8 months 237 days (range 8 days-4 years). 12 patients received consolidation chemotherapy on the primary disease site. No patient developed a second tumor. A combined approach, in the treatment of oral cavity cancer, may give prolonged responses, with acceptable toxicity, without interfering on the quality of life.

Topics: Adult; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Cisplatin; Diterpenes; Female; Fluorouracil; Humans; Jaw Neoplasms; Lymphatic Metastasis; Male; Middle Aged; Mouth Mucosa; Mouth Neoplasms; Neoplasm Staging; Retinyl Esters; Tongue Neoplasms; Vitamin A