Research Article
Xing Wang and Jian Meng
Abstract
Background: Brachytherapy is a form of targeted therapy and has shown good short-term efficacy in clinical practice. Objective: A clinical trial was conducted to determine the feasibility and safety of radioactive iodine 125 seeds implantation synchronized chemotherapy with docetaxel, cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil (TPF). Materials and methods: A total of 23 previously untreated patients with histologically documented advanced unresectable head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) underwent percutaneous radioactive iodine 125 seeds interstitial implantation, and simultaneously received three cycles of chemotherapy every 21 days at a dose of 75 mg/m2 docetaxel D1, 75 mg/m2 cisplatin D1, 750 mg/m2 5-fluorouracil D ~5. The effectiveness of treatment was evaluated based on tumor size and clinical symptoms in patients. Results: The overall responding rate was 78.3%. No acute complications and treatment related radiation damages occurred in the trail. A progression-free survival of 60.9% and overall survival of 52.2% was achieved at 2 years. Four patients died of cardiovascular and local recurrence. Conclusion: The scheme of brachytherapy based on iodine 125 seeds implantation synchronized chemotherapy is a mildly invasive, effective and safety regimen for advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.