Author/Editor     Campana, Luca Giovanni; Mali, Barbara; Serša, Gregor; Valpione, Sara; Giorgi, Carlo A.; Strojan, Primož; Miklavčič, Damijan; Rossi, Carlo Riccardo
Title     Electrochemotherapy in non-melanoma head and neck cancers
Type     članek
Publication year     2014
Volume     str. [1-8]
ISSN     0266-4356 - The British journal of oral & maxillofacial surgery
Language     eng
Abstract     Electrochemotherapy increases the permeability of tumours to drugs by electric voltages applied locally. Its value in tumours of the head and neck is unknown. We retrospectively reviewed a 2-centre database, and found 39 patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the oral cavity or oropharynx (n=12) or non-melanoma skin tumours (n=27) who had been treated with bleomycin electrochemotherapy with needle electrodes. A further 3 patients were given cisplatin with electrochemotherapy (n=2), or bleomycin with electrochemotherapy by plate electrodes (n=1). Local toxicity was mild. The complete response rate was 38% and was associated with whether the tumour was primary or recurrent (p<0.001), its size (p=0.02), and the route by which the drug was given (p=0.02). "We did not study enough patients with basal cell carcinomas to say whether the response was significantly better or not (p=0.07)". Skin tumours and SCC of the oral cavity or oropharynx showed comparable complete responses (41% and 33%, p=0.73) and local control (neologism, 51% compared with 59%, p=0.89), particularly if they were small (p=0.001), primary (p=0.002), chemonaive (p=0.03). Patients treated with cisplatin were unresponsive. Electrochemotherapy with bleomycin is an effective option for skin tumours of the head and neck and is a feasible alternative in highly selected (small, primary, and not previously treated) SCC of the oral cavity and oropharynx.
Keywords     elektrokemoterapija
rak glave in vratu
klinični primeri
nemelanomski raki
electrochemotherapy
head and neck cancers
non-melanoma cancers