Docetaxel and S-1 Followed By Radiation Therapy and Low-Dose Cisplatin in Treating Patients With Stage III or Stage IV Head and Neck Cancer

Overview

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as docetaxel, S-1, and cisplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill tumor cells. Giving more than one drug (combination chemotherapy) together with radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying how well giving docetaxel and S-1 together with radiation therapy and low-dose cisplatin works in treating patients with stage III or stage IV head and neck cancer.

OBJECTIVES: Primary * To assess the response rate in patients with stage III or IV head and neck cancer treated with induction therapy comprising docetaxel and S-1 followed by radiotherapy and low-dose cisplatin. Secondary * To assess the effect of this regimen on survival and locoregional and systemic control rates in these patients. OUTLINE: * Induction chemotherapy: Patients receive oral S-1 twice daily on days 1-14 and docetaxel IV over 1 hour on day 1. Treatment repeats every 21 days for 2 courses in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. * Chemoradiotherapy: Patients receive low-dose cisplatin IV once daily and undergo radiotherapy 5 days a week for 7 weeks in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. After completion of study therapy, patients are followed periodically for 18 months.

Conditions