Radiation Therapy With or Without Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Advanced Head and Neck Cancer

Sponsor

Cancer Research UK (Other)

Overall Status

Completed

CT.gov ID

NCT00002476

Collaborator

(none)

Locations

240

Duration (Months)

Study Details

Study Description

Brief Summary

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. It is not yet known if radiation therapy plus chemotherapy is more effective than radiation therapy alone in treating patients with advanced head and neck cancer.

PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of radiation therapy with or without chemotherapy in treating patients with advanced head and neck cancer.

Condition or Disease	Intervention/Treatment	Phase
Head and Neck Cancer	Biological: bleomycin sulfate Drug: fluorouracil Drug: leucovorin calcium Drug: methotrexate Drug: vincristine sulfate Radiation: low-LET cobalt-60 gamma ray therapy Radiation: low-LET photon therapy Radiation: radiation therapy	Phase 3

Detailed Description

OBJECTIVES: I. Determine whether the addition of methotrexate (MTX) or VBMF (vincristine/bleomycin/methotrexate/fluorouracil) to radiotherapy for advanced carcinoma of the head and neck (with or without primary surgery) influences locoregional control and prolongs survival. II. Determine whether an effect on locoregional control or survival is apparent when chemotherapy is given during or following radiotherapy and whether it is increased when chemotherapy is given at both times. III. Determine, in a special randomization of patients with cancer of the oral cavity or oropharynx, whether neck irradiation improves locoregional control and survival.

OUTLINE: Randomized study. Patients without prior surgery are randomized 1:2 to Arms I:II-IV, while those with prior surgery are randomized 1:1 between Arms I and II only. Patients with tumors of the oral cavity or oropharynx may elect additional randomization between Arms V and

VI and will receive irradiation of the primary according to the Manchester regimen. Arm I:

Radiotherapy. Irradiation of the primary and/or lymph nodes according to 1 of 2 regimens (Manchester 3-week schedule or SECOG 6-week schedule) using megavoltage equipment. Arm II: Radiotherapy plus Concurrent Single-agent or 4-Drug Combination Chemotherapy with Leucovorin Rescue. Involved-field irradiation as in Arm I; plus Methotrexate, MTX, NSC-740; with Leucovorin calcium, CF, NSC-3590; or VBMF: Vincristine, VCR, NSC-67574; Bleomycin, BLEO, NSC-125066; MTX; Fluorouracil, 5-FU, NSC-19893; with CF. Arm III: Radiotherapy plus Subsequent Single-agent or 4-Drug Combination Chemotherapy with Leucovorin Rescue. Involved-field irradiation as in Arm I; plus MTX or VBMF; with CF. Arm IV: Radiotherapy plus Concurrent and Subsequent Single-agent or 4-Drug Combination Chemotherapy with Leucovorin

Rescue. Involved-field irradiation as in Arm I; plus MTX or VBMF; with CF. Arm V:

Radiotherapy. Neck node irradiation using megavoltage equipment. Arm VI: Observation. No nodal irradiation.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: At least 1,000 patients will be entered.

Study Design

Study Type:

Interventional

Primary Purpose:

Treatment

Official Title:

Phase III Randomized Study of Radiotherapy Alone vs With Concurrent Chemotherapy With MTX or VBMF (VCR/BLEO/MTX/5-FU) vs Subsequent Chemotherapy vs Concurrent and Subsequent Chemotherapy in Patients With Advanced Head and Neck Cancer

Study Start Date :

Jan 1, 1990

Actual Study Completion Date :

Jan 1, 2010

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

Eligibility Criteria

Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study:

18 Years and Older

Sexes Eligible for Study:

All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers:

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Histologically confirmed squamous cell cancer of the head and neck suitable for treatment with radiotherapy T2, T3, or T4 primary lesions Any N No distant metastasis May also be anaplastic carcinoma, verrucous carcinoma, or transitional cell carcinoma (as of 1/97) No occult primaries (as of 1/97) No adenocarcinomas, lymphomas, or melanomas (as of 1/97) Synchronous head and neck tumors are eligible (tumor with the worse prognosis is entered into study) (as of 1/97) Patients receiving surgery to neck nodes only must be randomized as surgery patients (as of 1/97) Patients with tumors of the oral cavity or oropharynx may additionally elect randomization to nodal irradiation vs. no further therapy provided there is no second primary

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age: 75 and under for patients electing participation in the nodal vs. no nodal irradiation portion of the study Performance status: Not specified Hematopoietic: Not specified Hepatic: Not specified Renal: Not specified Other: Fit for any protocol treatment option Willing to receive any protocol treatment option Prior malignancy allowed provided the treating clinician considers the patient cured

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy: No prior therapy Chemotherapy: No prior therapy Endocrine therapy: No prior therapy Radiotherapy: No prior therapy Surgery: Prior biopsy or excision allowed

Contacts and Locations

Locations

	Site	City	State	Country	Postal Code
1	Raj Tilak	Indore		India	452001
2	Royal Sussex County Hospital	Brighton	England	United Kingdom	BN2 5BE
3	Middlesex Hospital- Meyerstein Institute	London	England	United Kingdom	W1N 8AA
4	Derriford Hospital	Plymouth	England	United Kingdom	PL6 8DH
5	Southend General Hospital	Westcliff-On-Sea	England	United Kingdom
6	Royal Victoria Hospital	Belfast	Northern Ireland	United Kingdom	BT12 6BJ
7	Belfast City Hospital Trust	Belfast	Northern Ireland	United Kingdom	BT8 8JR