Effectively Treating Advanced Nasal Cancer

Nasal and sinonasal cancers respond to chemoradiotherapy

(RxWiki News) Treating advanced nasal cancers is a delicate business. Chemotherapy plus radiation therapy (chemoradiotherapy) is not recommended due to the risk of brain injury or blindness. But researchers found a regimen that looks to have merit.

A particular combination of chemotherapies involving docetaxel, cisplatin and S-1, followed by proton beam therapy appeared to be effective for patients with advanced, inoperable (T4b) nasal and sinonasal tumors.

"While on chemo, don't take vitamins or minerals before talking to your oncologist."

Chinese researchers from the Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer conducted a small study, which included 13 patients.

Each participant received a specific chemo regimen that was repeated every three to four weeks, for no more than three cycles.

Depending on the participant's response to the drugs, they were assigned to undergo either proton beam therapy (advanced targeted radiation) alone or along with a regimen of cisplatin.

Researchers found that after the chemo rounds alone, five of the 13 patients experienced either partial or complete responses.

After the chemo, 10 people received proton beam therapy along with cisplatin and two received the therapy alone. One received palliative radiation.

Eleven of the 13 individuals (84.6 percent) had complete responses. No one suffered brain damage or developed blindness.

The authors conclude, "Induction chemotherapy with docetaxel, cisplatin and S-1 followed by proton beam therapy concurrent with cisplatin is well tolerated and displays promising antitumor activity that warrants further investigation."

This study was published in the August issue of the Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology.

No financial information was publicly available.

Review Date: 
August 9, 2012