Combined Cisplatinum and Laser Therapy for Head and Neck Tumors
Author Information
Author(s): MARCOS B. PAIVA, ROMAINE E. SAXTON, KEITH E. BLACKWELL, PETER BUECHLER, ALEN COHEN, CARSON D. LIU, THOMAS C. CALCATERRA, PAUL H. WARD, DAN J. CASTRO
Primary Institution: UCLA School of Medicine
Hypothesis
Can combined cisplatinum and laser thermal therapy improve palliation in patients with recurrent head and neck tumors?
Conclusion
The study suggests that combining cisplatinum with laser therapy is safe and may provide therapeutic benefits for palliation in advanced head and neck cancer.
Supporting Evidence
- Four of the 8 patients treated remained alive after a median follow-up of 12 months.
- Complete responses were observed in 6 of the 12 tumors treated.
- Median survival for patients was 9.5 months.
Takeaway
Doctors used a special laser and a medicine called cisplatin to help patients with tough-to-treat neck tumors feel better, and some patients even got better after the treatment.
Methodology
Eight patients with recurrent head and neck tumors received cisplatin followed by laser thermal ablation, with treatments repeated as necessary.
Limitations
The study involved a small number of patients and lacked long-term follow-up.
Participant Demographics
The participants included 6 men and 2 women aged 50 to 85, all with a history of cigarette smoking and diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma.
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