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Use of methotrexate and 5-FU for recurrent head and neck cancer.
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1982
Year
Neck CancerThirty PatientsPathologyPharmacotherapyDermatologyTreatment ResistanceOral CancerOncologyRecurrent HeadNeck OncologyRadiation OncologyCancer ResearchCancer DiagnosisResponse RateOverall Response RateHead And Neck SurgeryCancer TreatmentPharmacologyNeck PathologyHead And Neck CancerHead And Neck Squamous Cell CarcinomaMedicine
Thirty patients with recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck were treated with methotrexate (250 mg/m2) followed 1 hour later by 5-FU (600 mg/m2). One patient had a complete response and four had partial responses, for an overall response rate of 16%. The response rate in patients with no prior chemotherapy was 21%. Toxic effects included neutrophenia in ten patients, with one associated death from infection; severe mucositis in three patients; and severe diarrhea in seven patients. Three patients had acute abdominal pain requiring hospitalization, with one associated death. The combination of methotrexate and 5-FU as given in our study was not superior to methotrexate alone and had substantial toxicity.