PITTSBURGH -- June 28, 2001 -- Treating head and neck cancer patients with a combination of the biologic agents normally found in the body may lead to improved survival according to a new study.

The research team led by Dr. Dong M. Shin of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine published their findings in the June 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The results showed a marked survival improvement for these patients given a combination of the naturally occurring forms of vitamin A and E and an immune system component called interferon alpha.

"Given the poor survival rates from head and neck cancer, the study’s overall survival rates of 98 percent at one-year follow-up and 91 percent at two-year follow-up, are very promising indications of the potential of this treatment for patients with locally-advanced head and neck cancer," Shin, said in a press release.

"The finding that there are only mild to moderate negative side-effects from treatment, which primarily include flu-like symptoms and fatigue, is also especially encouraging," said Shin, co-director of the university's Head and Neck Cancer Program.

The National Cancer Institute-funded study involved 44 patients initially treated with surgery or radiation therapy for advanced head and neck cancer that had not spread to other parts of the body. To prevent recurrence of their tumors or growth of new ones, they underwent year-long treatment with interferon-alfa (IFN-a) shots three times a week, plus daily oral doses of vitamin A (13-cis-retinoic acid) and vitamin E (a-tocopherol).

The treatment differs from standard chemotherapy in that it mobilizes the body’s immune system to fight the cancer rather than generally poisoning rapidly dividing cells. The researchers examined the patients every three months for recurrent or new tumors.

After following the patients for an average of two years, four patients experienced a recurrent tumor confined to the same area as the original cancer, and two patients had a recurrent tumor that had also spread to other parts of the body, and one patient had a new tumor. Of the 44 patients that could be evaluated for advancing cancer, 84% remained cancer free for two years.

Survival rates for this type of cancer have not improved significantly over the past 20 years and are among the lowest compared to other major cancers.

"Until now, we have had little success preventing the development of second primary tumors in patients with head and neck cancer," said Shin. "If confirmed by a follow-up phase III study, the results may have a profound impact on reducing the rate of recurrence of head and neck cancer and the formation of SPTs."

As a next step, Shin and his colleagues are gearing up to conduct a large comparison study that will randomly assign as many as 300 patients from several cancer centers to receive either this new therapy or the current standard treatment.

Head and neck cancer occurs in the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, paranasal sinuses, nasal cavity and the salivary glands, and accounts for 5 percent of all cancers diagnosed in the United States. Nearly 45,000 cases of head and neck cancer are diagnosed annually in the United States, and 13,000 die from causes related to this disease.

SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Oncology, Vol 19, Issue 12 (June), 2001: 3010-3017

Copyright © 2001 NexCura, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of cancerfacts.com content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of NexCura. NexCura and cancerfacts.com are trademarks of NexCura, Inc. or its affiliates. Copyright © 2001. This information is for educational purposes only.