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Cell kinetics and tumor regression during radiotherapy in head and neck squamous‐cell carcinomas
Author(s) -
Corvo Renzo,
Giaretti Walter,
Geido Elio,
Sanguineti Giuseppe,
Orecchia Roberto,
Scala Marco,
Garaventa Giacomo,
Mora Enzo,
Vitale Vito
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0215(19961009)68:2<151::aid-ijc1>3.0.co;2-x
Subject(s) - radiation therapy , medicine , regimen , doubling time , head and neck cancer , head and neck , nuclear medicine , chemotherapy , head and neck squamous cell carcinoma , epidermoid carcinoma , carcinoma , oncology , surgery , cell , biology , genetics
Head and neck squamous‐cell carcinoma (HN‐SCC) patient management is mainly based on TNM classification and needs be improved by considering other potentially useful prognostic factors. We examined the pre‐radiotherapy tumor potential doubling time (T pot ) evaluated after in vivo infusion of bromodeoxyuridine and flow‐cytometric analysis and the early clinical tumor regression after 40 Gy (40 Gy‐TR). T pot values and clinical 40 Gy‐TR classes (minor and major) were available for 82 HN‐SCC patients. Radiation therapy completion was done either with I dose per day (conventional regimen) or 2 doses per day (accelerated regimen). Local control was also available for follow‐up times above 4 years. We found that major 40 Gy‐TR was strongly correlated with fast tumor growth, characterized by T pot values below 5 days, and that patients with major 40 Gy‐TR showed better local control than those with minor 40 Gy‐TR, independently from the radiotherapy regimen type. We also found that treatment completion with accelerated radiotherapy gave better local control for patients with major 40 Gy‐TR and fast tumor growth than conventional radiotherapy. Multivariate analysis, performed on all patients, assigned an independent prognostic value to T pot , tumor classification and 40 Gy‐TR. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.