Laryngeal Preservation in Pyriform Sinus Carcinoma

Cisplatin was administered intravenously at a dose of 100 mg/m2 on day 1 and fluorouracil was administered at a dose of 1 000 mg/m2/day by continuous intravenous infusion on day 1 to 5 for 2 courses after 3 weeks. After induction chemotherapy patients underwent ears, nose and throat examination and computed tomography imaging. If a complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) of more than 80% is identified in the primary tumor, the patient was offered conventional radiotherapy as part of the protocol treatment. Radiotherapy was administered in 35 fractions of 2 Gy each over a 7 weeks period to the primary tumor (50 Gy) and the neck lymph nodes. The dose to the pathologically positive nodes was supplemented (20 Gy) at a total dose of 70 Gy. Doses and schedules of radiotherapy were identical in both treatment arms of the study.

Intravenous cisplatin at dose of 100 mg/m2 on days 1, 22 and 43 was administered concomitantly with conventional radiotherapy to the primary tumor and to the neck lymph nodes according to the pathological findings of the pre-treatment neck dissection at a total dose of 70 Gy. \- Surgery was recommended to all patients who had a response less than 80%, stable disease or progressive disease in the primary tumor. If surgery was not feasible, the treatment choice was left up to the investigator's discretion.