Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of concurrent carboplatin (CBDCA) and radiotherapy for laryngeal carcinoma. we investigated survival rates and laryngeal preservation rates in patients with this treatment modality and those with radiation therapy only.
Methods: We underwent chemotherapy with CBDCA and conventional radiotherapy concurrently to 17 patients with untreated stage II (T2NOM0) supraglottic squamous cell carcinoma since November 1990. CBDCA (100 mg/m2) was administered intravenously once a week concurrently with radiotherapy (2.5 Gy/fr, 4 times a week). At the dose of 40 Gy, the results were evaluated, and some of the patients underwent planned surgery and others continued the radiotherapy up to 65 Gy.
Results: Overall 5-year survival rate by Kaplan-Meier method was 81.1%. Actual laryngeal preservation rate was 76.0%. Toxicity over grade III was noticed in two patients. Compared with 14 cases of historical controls, which were treated by radiation therapy alone between 1988 and 1990, the cases with concurrent radiotherapy and chemotherapy had statistically significant advantage in overall successful laryngeal preservation rate (P < 0.05), whereas the two groups were not significantly different in the overall 5-year survival rate.