High-Dose Radiation Therapy Plus Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Advanced Nose or Throat Cancer
Head and Neck Cancer
About this trial
This is an interventional treatment trial for Head and Neck Cancer focused on measuring stage II lymphoepithelioma of the nasopharynx, stage II squamous cell carcinoma of the nasopharynx, stage III lymphoepithelioma of the nasopharynx, stage III squamous cell carcinoma of the nasopharynx, stage IV lymphoepithelioma of the nasopharynx, stage IV squamous cell carcinoma of the nasopharynx
Eligibility Criteria
DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Histologically confirmed nasopharyngeal cancer Stage II-IVB Newly diagnosed No distant metastases PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age 18 and over Performance status Karnofsky 60-100% Life expectancy Not specified Hematopoietic WBC at least 3,000/mm^3 Granulocyte count at least 1,500/mm^3 Platelet count at least 100,000/mm^3 Hemoglobin at least 8 g/dL Hepatic Bilirubin no greater than 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) Alkaline phosphatase no greater than 2.5 times ULN AST no greater than 2.5 times ULN Renal Creatinine no greater than 1.5 mg/dL Creatinine clearance at least 60 mL/min Calcium no greater than 11.5 mg/dL Other Not pregnant or nursing Negative pregnancy test Fertile patients must use effective contraception Medically able to tolerate a definitive course of radiotherapy and the necessary immobilization No other active malignancy within the past 3 years except nonmelanoma skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy Not specified Chemotherapy No prior chemotherapy for this diagnosis More than 3 years since other prior chemotherapy Endocrine therapy Not specified Radiotherapy No prior radiotherapy for this diagnosis More than 3 years since other prior radiotherapy No prior radiotherapy to the head and neck region Surgery Not specified
Sites / Locations
- Memorial Sloan - Kettering Cancer Center
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Experimental
High-Dose Radiation Therapy Plus Chemotherapy
Phase I Radiotherapy: Patients receive radiotherapy once daily 5 days a week for 6 weeks beginning on day 1. Concurrent chemotherapy: Patients receive cisplatin IV over 20-30 minutes on days 1-5 and 22-26. Adjuvant chemotherapy: Approximately 2-5 weeks after the completion of radiotherapy, patients receive fluorouracil IV continuously on days 1-4 and cisplatin IV over 20-30 minutes on days 1-5 and 22-26. Treatment repeats every 28 days for 3 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. In the absence of dose-limiting toxicity in 1 whole cohort of patients, study proceeds to phase II. Phase II Patients are treated as in phase I. Patients are followed every 3 months for 1 year, every 4 months for 1 year, every 6 months for 3 years, and then annually thereafter.