Chemotherapy for advanced head and neck cancer with the combination adriamycin, cyclophosphamide, and cis‐diamminedichloroplatinum (II): Preliminary assessment of a one‐day vs. three‐day drug regimen

Fourteen patients with advanced head and neck carcinomas received a monthly intravenous regimen of Adriamycin, 40 mg/m², day 1; cyclophosphamide, 400 mg/m², day 3; and cis‐diamminedichloroplatinum, 20 mg/m²/1 hour, days 1–3 (CAP‐3). A regression rate of only 7% (0/12 squamous cell carcinomas; 1/2 adenocarcinomas) and a median survival of five months for all patients was accompanied by considerable gastrointestinal toxicity. These results strikingly diverge from a prior study that achieved a 64% (16/25) regression rate using comparable doses of each agent but was administered by rapid infusion on one day each month (CAP‐1). Admittedly, the relatively impaired performance scores of the CAP‐3 participants may have had some impact on these discouraging results. On the other hand, the maximum therapeutic efficacy of the combination Adriamycin, cyclophosphamide, and cis‐platinum may well depend upon subtle interactions of cell cycle kinetics and dosage and schedule of each agent.