Adjuvant chemotherapy with S-1 for head and neck carcinoma

Combined chemotherapy is considered essential for further improvement of the cure rate of head and neck carcinoma. Chemotherapy in cases of head and neck carcinoma is administered with one of two objectives: as adjuvant therapy to increase the survival rate after radical treatment in the early stage of the disease, and to prolong the survival rate in cases with advanced or recurrent carcinoma. There is, however, no clear answer to the question of how these objectives can be accomplished. In our department, we use S-1 chemotherapy to achieve these goals. Our modified S-1 administration method until 2005 consists of a 3-week drug administration period followed by a 2-week drug-free period (3w-2w), or a 2-week administration period followed by a 2-week drug-free period (2w-2w). We determined the usefulness of the optimum administration method by examining the rate of completion of the treatment, and its safety and therapeutic efficacy. S-1 administration was used in 68 cases of head and neck carcinoma until 2005. As a result, the rate of completion of the treatment and its safety were high. Further randomized controlled trials with a high degree of accuracy are needed to confirm whether or not our treatment method would improve the survival rate/ prolong the duration of survival in these patients.