Role of induction chemotherapy in downstaging of locally advanced head-and-neck squamous cell cancer

Aims and Objectives: To study the effect of induction chemotherapy (CT) in locally advanced head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma (LAHNSCC) and to compare the two commonly used regimens of CT, including paclitaxel and cisplatin (CDDP) in one arm and CDDP, methotrexate (MTX), and bleomycin in the other arm as induction CT. Materials and Methods: It is a retrospective study, including 100 histopathologically proven cases of LAHNSCC who received treatment at a government medical college and hospital in Central India between November 2015 and June 2016. All the patients were randomly divided into two arms: arm A received paclitaxel + cisplatin (TP) and arm B received cisplatin + MTX + bleomycin as induction CT had adequate hematologic, hepatic, and renal functions, and their response to treatment was evaluated clinically after each cycle up to three cycles before external beam radiotherapy. Results: The present study showed beneficial effects of induction CT in HNSCC as 82% of the patients showed response or T-downstaging. Among the patients responding to induction CT, 34% showed complete and 48% showed partial response at the primary tumor site according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors. The difference in response between the two arms was statistically significant (P = 0.037). Conclusion: The current study shows the beneficial effects of induction CT in LAHNSCC. No statistically significant difference was seen in the response of both regimens of induction CT in terms of overall survival, but significant disease-free survival and progression-free survival were obtained in the TP arm.