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 |