Long-Term Results of a Multicenter Randomized Phase III Trial of Induction Chemotherapy With Cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, ± Docetaxel for Larynx Preservation

Abstract

Background:

The purpose of GORTEC 2000–01 was to compare the long-term efficacy and safety of induction chemotherapy with cisplatin (P) and 5-fluorouracil (F) with or without docetaxel (T) for larynx preservation.

Methods:

Operable patients with untreated stage III or IV larynx or hypopharynx invasive squamous cell carcinoma who required total laryngectomy were randomly assigned to three cycles of induction chemotherapy with either TPF or PF, followed by radiation therapy for responders. The primary endpoint was three-year larynx preservation rate. Secondary endpoints included larynx dysfunction–free survival (LDFFS), overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), loco-regional control rate (LCR), cause of death, and later toxicity rates. Survival and other data were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier methods. All statistical tests were two-sided.

Results:

Two hundred thirteen patients were treated with median follow-up of 105 months. The five- and 10-year larynx preservation rates were 74.0% (95% CI = 0.64 to 0.82) vs 58.1% (95% CI = 0.47 to 0.68) and 70.3% (95% CI = 0.58 to 0.8) vs 46.5% (95% CI = 0.31 to 0.63, P = .01) in the TPF vs PF arm, respectively. The five- and 10-year LDFFS rates were 67.2% (95% CI = 0.57 to 0.76) vs 46.5% (95% CI = 0.36 to 0.57) and 63.7% (95% CI = 0.52 to 0.74) vs 37.2% (95% CI = 0.24 to 0.52, P = .001), respectively. OS, DFS, and LCR were not statistically improved in the TPF vs the PF arm. Statistically fewer grade 3–4 late toxicities of the larynx occurred with the TPF regimen compared with the PF arm (9.3% vs 17.1%, G-test, P = .038).

Conclusion:

Long-term follow-up confirms that induction chemotherapy with TPF increased larynx preservation and larynx dysfunction–free survival. In this larynx preservation approach using induction chemotherapy, TPF should be recommended, followed by radiation therapy.

Until the early 1990s, total laryngectomy followed by conventional radiotherapy was the most common treatment for locally advanced larynx or hypopharynx squamous cell carcinoma. It produced good loco-regional control but negative effects on quality of life with the definitive need for a tracheostomy, loss of natural voice, social isolation, loss of employment, and depression.

At the beginning of the 1990s, “larynx-preservation trials” were performed using an induction chemotherapy or concurrent chemotherapy as the initial treatment. Several randomized trials were performed using this therapeutic approach ( 1–4 ). The induction chemotherapy regimen used a combination of cisplatin (P) plus 5-fluorouracil (F), and the concurrent chemotherapy was cisplatin. Theses trials showed no benefits in terms of overall survival but did show improved larynx preservation compared with radiation therapy alone. The benefit of adding chemotherapy to radiotherapy was confirmed in the landmark repeated meta-analysis ( 5 ) and should be considered as the new standard therapy for locally advanced cancer including larynx preservation.

An induction chemotherapy approach has re-emerged with the addition of docetaxel (T) to the standard PF protocol ( 6 ). Three randomized phase III trials using an induction therapy with TPF followed by radiation alone or in combination with carboplatin ( 7–9 ) demonstrated the superiority of the TPF regimen compared with the PF regimen.

More recently, an international consensus had proposed new recommendations for follow-up assessments related to function and long-term toxicities. They defined new composite criteria that combine assessment-of-function, ie, laryngeal dysfunction, and we have used these to define larynx dysfunction–free survival (LDFFS) ( 10 ).

In 2009, we published results from the GORTEC 2000–01 study ( 9 ), which was designed to assess larynx preservation and was promoted by the French Groupe d’Oncologie Radiothérapie Tête et Cou (Head and Neck Cancer Group: GORTEC). Two regimens of induction chemotherapy were compared: cisplatin (P) plus 5-fluorouracil (F), either with or without docetaxel (T), followed by RT and with (minority of patients) or without additional chemotherapy. The follow-up period was a median of 36 months. The objective of this trial was to determine whether adding T to PF could increase larynx preservation rate.

We now report the long-term results (5- and 10-year results) and include a functional evaluation regarding the new LDFFS endpoint. We have also analyzed the longer-term effects and all causes of death.

Methods

Patient Eligibility

Operable patients with untreated stage III or IV larynx or hypopharynx invasive squamous cell carcinoma who required a total laryngectomy were randomly assigned in a multicenter phase III trial to compare larynx preservation rates after three cycles of induction chemotherapy with either TPF or PF. The details of inclusion and exclusion criteria are provided in the previous report ( 9 ).

Treatment

In the control group, chemotherapy consisted of cisplatin (100mg/m ² on day 1) plus 5-fluorouracil (1000mg/m ² by 24-hour continuous infusion for 5 days). In the experimental group, chemotherapy consisted of docetaxel, cisplatin (both 75mg/m ² on day 1), and 5-fluorouracil (750mg/m ² by 24-hour continuous infusion for 5 days). Three cycles with a 21-day interval were planned in both arms. Patients who responded well to the induction chemotherapy were defined as having a complete response or as having a partial response if they recovered normal larynx mobility. Patients who did not respond to the induction chemotherapy underwent initially planned total laryngectomy (with neck dissection), followed by radiotherapy with or without additional chemotherapy.

Radiation therapy was initiated between three and seven weeks after the last chemotherapy cycle, with or without additional chemotherapy for patients who had considered responders to the induction chemotherapy. It was delivered using 4 to 6 MV photon beams. Two target volumes were defined: 1) the therapeutic planning target volume that encompassed the primary tumor volume and involved lymph nodes as they were before induction therapy and 2) the prophylactic planning target volume that encompassed the area presumed to be at risk for microscopic disease. The therapeutic and prophylactic planning target volumes received 70 and 50–54 Gy, respectively.

Additional chemotherapy (cisplatin, carboplatin, and 5-fluorouracil or a combination of two drugs) with radiotherapy was given to all patients enrolled in any institute, according to their practices. The trial was registered as ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT00169182.

The CONSORT flow diagram for this trial is shown in Figure 1 . Follow-up was assessed by clinical evaluation and computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging at three weeks after the last chemotherapy cycle, at nine weeks after radiotherapy, and at four months after treatment was completed. Patients were followed-up every three months during the first year, every six months during the next three years, and then every year until death or censoring. Toxic effects were graded according to the RTOG toxicity scoring system ( 11 ) for acute and late radiotherapy toxic effects. The cutoff for designating late toxicity was three months after the end of radiotherapy.

Figure 1.

CONSORT flow diagram of this study design. Patients with operable advanced larynx

or hypopharynx carcinomas were randomly assigned to receive docetaxel, cisplatin, plus 5-fluorouracil or cisplatin plus 5-fluorouracil. Seven patients were not eligible because of having Karnofsky performance status less than 70 or distant metastases. PF = cisplatin plus 5-fluorouracil; TPF = docetaxel, cisplatin, plus 5-fluorouracil.

Statistical Analyses

The primary endpoint was larynx preservation rate. Secondary endpoints were overall survival, disease-free survival and loco-regional control rate, cause of death, and longer-term toxicity rates. We conducted a post hoc analysis according to the new consensus guidelines on evaluation of functionality of the larynx (LDFFS). All events were measured from the date of random assignment to the date of their occurrence or the date of the last follow-up visit, whichever occurred first. Disease-free survival was defined as the event of any of local, regional, or distant recurrence or death from any cause. LDFFS was defined according to the international consensus and included the presence of natural speech, the absence of a tracheostomy, the absence of use of a feeding tube for two or more years after the end of treatment, or recurring pneumonia within the preceding 12 months that required hospitalization ( 12 ). Patients were randomly assigned to a specific treatment group by a central office after eligibility had been established.

The patients’ data were analyzed according to the intention-to-treat principle. To describe the patients’ characteristics in the two arms, the Student’s t test or the Mann-Whitney U test was used for continuous variables and the chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test for qualitative variables. LDFFS, overall survival, disease-free survival, larynx preservation rate, and loco-regional control rate were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier survival method, and the two arms were compared by the log-rank test. Asymetric 95% confident intervals were estimated by the Rothman method. The maximum likelihood statistical significance G-test was used to assess the number and severity of late toxicities. For all tests, a P value (two-sided probability) of less than .05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

Patients

A total of 220 patients were enrolled between December 4, 2000 and May 3, 2005. The analyses were performed after a median follow-up for surviving patients of 105 months (range = 2–148 months, P = .9). A total of 213 patients were randomly assigned: 110 to receive TPF and 103 to receive PF ( Figure 2 ). There was no statistical difference between the two treatment groups regarding any of the patients’ characteristics ( 9 ). In the TPF group, 17 of 85 (20.0%) patients received concomitant chemotherapy using cisplatin, carboplatin, 5-fluorouracil or a combination of two drugs according to institute practice. In the PF group, nine of 57 (15.8%) patients received concomitant chemotherapy ( P = .67).

Figure 2.

Outcomes among patients who were randomly assigned to docetaxel, cisplatin, plus 5-fluorouracil or to cisplatin plus 5-fluorouracil. After random assignment, patients that responded to induction chemotherapy and had larynx preservation received further radiotherapy, whereas nonresponding patients underwent a total laryngectomy. PF = cisplatin plus 5-fluorouracil; TPF = docetaxel, cisplatin, plus 5-fluorouracil.

Survival and Preservation of the Larynx

The overall response rate after induction chemotherapy was 80.0% (41.8% complete response and 38.2% partial response) in the TPF group and 59.2% (30.1% complete response and 29.1% partial response) in the PF group (difference = 20.8%, P =.002). Stable and progressive disease rates after induction chemotherapy were 11.8% and 3.2% in the TPF group vs 35.0% and 5.8% in the PF group. A total of 51 patients underwent laryngectomy after induction chemotherapy: 17 patients in the TPF arm and 34 patients in the PF arm. There was no statistical difference between the two groups regarding patient characteristics (age, sex, performance status), tumor location (larynx vs hypopharynx, P > .58), tumor size (T2 or T3 vs T4, P = .41) or nodes (N0 or N1 vs N2 or N3, P > .99). The five- and 10-year larynx preservation rates were, respectively, 74.0% (95% CI = 0.64 to 0.82) vs 58.1% (95% CI = 0.47 to 0.68) ( Figure 3A ) and 70.3% (95% CI = 0.58 to 0.8) vs 46.5% (95% CI = 0.31 to 0.63; P = .01). Regarding the functionality of the larynx, the five- and 10-year LDFFS rates were, respectively, 67.2% (95% CI = 0.57 to 0.76) vs 46.5% (95% CI = 0.36 to 0.57), and 63.7% (95% CI = 0.52 to 0.74) vs 37.2% (95% CI = 0.24 to 0.52; P = .001) ( Figure 3B ). Overall survival, disease-free survival, and loco-regional control rates were not statistically significantly improved in the TPF arm vs the PF arm (respectively, P = .28, P = .21, and P = .18) ( Figure 4 ). The exhaustive five- and 10-year results are listed in Table 1 . For overall survival, disease-free survival and loco-regional control rate, we did not reach statistically significant differences between the two groups because of a lack of power. At least 39 patients in the two groups developed metastases. The median time before metastasis event was 16 months (range = 6–85 months). Hypopharyngeal tumor and N2 or N3 patients are more frequently associated with metatastic evolution (hypopharynx vs larynx, P =.05; N0-N1 vs N2-N3, P = .01).

Table 1.

Five- and 10-year estimates of efficacy at the endpoints

Endpoint, y	TPF	PF	TPF vs PF
	Estimate (IC* 95% CI), %	Estimate (IC* 95% CI), %	HR (IC 95% CI)
Overall survival
5	50.9 (41.4 to 60.3)	41.9 (32.7 to 51.7)	1.08 (0.71 to 1.63)
10	30.2 (21.5 to 40.6)	23.5 (14.9 to 34.9)	1.07 (0.74 to 1.57)
Locoregional control
5	46.6 (37.3 to 56.1)	36.3 (27.5 to 46.0)	1.15 (0.78 to 1.70)
10	27.9 (19.7 to 37.9)	20.8 (12.8 to 32.0)	1.16 (0.81 to 1.67)
Disease-free survival
5	42.4 (33.3 to 52.0)	31.4 (23.2 to 41.0)	1.37 (0.94 to 2.01)
10	25.0 (17.1 to 35.0)	18.7 (11.1 to 29.6)	1.30 (0.91 to 1.86)
Larynx preservation
5	74.0 (64.4 to 81.7)	58.1 (47.5 to 68.0)	1.94 (1.14 to 3.30)
10	70.3 (58.4 to 80.0)	46.5 (31.1 to 62.6)	1.93 (1.11 to 3.27)
Larynx dysfunction–free survival
5	67.2 (57.1 to 76.0)	46.5 (36.1 to 57.2)	1.82 (1.14 to 2.91)
10	63.7 (51.8 to 74.1)	37.2 (24.4 to 52.0)	1.82 (1.14 to 2.90)

* Rothman KJ. Estimation of confidence limits for the cumulative probability of survival in life table analysis. J Chronic Dis . 1978;31(8):557–560. CI = confidence interval; HR = hazard ratio; PF = cisplatin plus 5-fluorouracil; TPF = docetaxel, cisplatin, plus 5-fluorouracil.

Figure 3.

Laryngeal preservation rates and larynx dysfunction–free survival. A ) At 10 years, the rates of laryngeal preservation were as follows: 70.3% of patients who received induction chemotherapy using TPF vs 46.5% who received induction chemotherapy with PF ( P = .01, two-sided log-rank test). B ) At 10 years, the percentages of those who were laryngeal dysfunction–free were as follows: 63.7% of patients who received induction chemotherapy using TPF vs 37.2% who received induction chemotherapy with PF ( P = .001, two-sided log-rank test). PF = cisplatin plus 5-fluorouracil; TPF = docetaxel, cisplatin, plus 5-fluorouracil.

Figure 4.

Overall survival, loco-regional control, and disease-free survival. A ) At 10 years, overall survival rates were not statistically different ( P = .28, two-sided log-rank test). B ) At 10 years, loco-regional control rates were not statistically different ( P = .18, two-sided log-rank test). C ) At 10 years, disease-free survival rates were not statistically different ( P = .21, two-sided log-rank test). PF = cisplatin plus 5-fluorouracil; TPF = docetaxel, cisplatin, plus 5-fluorouracil.

Longer-Term Toxicities

Mucous membrane, salivary gland, larynx, and subcutaneous tissue toxicities were the most frequent events reported. There were statistically fewer grade 3 or 4 late toxicities of the larynx in patients receiving the TPF regimen compared with those in the PF arm (9.3% vs 17.1%, G-test, P = .038). Grade 1 or 2 and 3 or 4 longer-term toxicities of the salivary gland were more frequent in the TPF arm vs the PF arm (7.1% vs 2.2, P = .013). There were no other statistical differences between the two groups regarding longer-term toxicity ( Table 2 ). The doses of cisplatin and 5FU are lower in the TPF regimen than in the PF regimen, and this probably explained the lower larynx toxicity rate in the TPF arm.

Table 2.

Late toxicities in patients with larynx and hypopharynx cancer treated by two different induction chemotherapy regimens, followed by radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy for larynx preservation

Tissue	TPF, %			PF, %			P *
	Grade			Grade
	0	1–2	3–4	0	1–2	3–4
Mucous membrane	49.5	49.5	1.0	57.1	42.9	0	-
Salivary glands	14.1	78.8	7.1	29.7	68.1	2.2	.013
Bone	98.0	2.0	0	98.9	1.1	0	-
Subcutaneous tissue	33.3	62.6	4.0	34.1	58.2	7.7	.533
Larynx	45.4	45.4	9.3	54.9	28.0	17.1	.038
Other	71.7	25.0	3.3	72.8	19.8	7.4	.373

* G-test. PF = cisplatin plus 5-fluorouracil; TPF = docetaxel, cisplatin, plus 5-fluorouracil.

Causes of Death

At the last evaluation, 142 patients had died: 70 in the TPF regimen and 72 in the PF arm. Five patients died because of acute toxicity from the chemotherapy: three in the TPF arm (2 from diarrhea and dehydration and 1 from digestive bleeding) and two in the PF arm (1 from acute renal insufficiency and 1 from aplasia with acute infection). Seventy-nine patients died from their first cancer (TPF = 39, PF = 40), 14 patients from a second cancer (seven in each group), and most because of pulmonary cancer, 19 patients because of concurrent disease (TPF = 9, PF = 10), and two patients in the TPF arm because of longer-term toxicity. Causes of death are shown in Table 3 .

Table 3.

Causes of death*

Cause of death	Total, No.	TPF, No.	PF, No.
Cancer	79	39	40
Acute toxicity	5	3	2
Late toxicity	2	2	0
Second cancer	14	7	7
Concurrent disease	19	9	10
Other cause	5	1	4
Unknown cause	18	9	9
Total, No.	142	70	72
Mortality, %	67	64	70

* PF = cisplatin plus 5-fluorouracil; TPF = docetaxel, cisplatin, plus 5-fluorouracil.

Discussion

We have confirmed in this longer-term follow-up analysis that the TPF regimen was superior to the PF regimen in terms of organ preservation and preservation of functionality of the larynx in patients treated for stage III or IV larynx or hypopharynx invasive squamous cell carcinoma cancer that required a total laryngectomy. At 10 years, the TPF regimen achieved statistically significantly superior larynx preservation compared with the PF regimen and statistically significantly superior LDFFS. After this longer-term follow-up, we did not find any statistical differences between the regimens in terms of overall survival, disease-free survival, or loco-regional control. There were no statistical differences regarding acute toxicity between the TPF arm and PF arm ( 9 ), but we observed more late grade 3 or 4 larynx toxicities in the PF arm.

In this study, we obtained excellent results in terms of organ preservation, but there are potential limitations. Because we proposed treatment to a select population of patients with only larynx and hypopharynx cancer and this trial was especially designed for organ preservation and not for overall survival, we cannot generalize the findings to all locally advanced head and neck cancers.

For over 20 years, several studies have shown the superiority of adjunctive chemotherapy compared with loco-regional therapy using either induction chemotherapy, concurrent chemotherapy, or adjuvant chemotherapy. A larynx preservation study was first published in 1984 by the Department of Veterans Affairs Cooperative Laryngeal Cancer Study Group, and long-term data were published in 1994 ( 13 ). The study included patients with resectable squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx who were randomly assigned to receive standard surgery (total laryngectomy) followed by radiation therapy or to receive induction chemotherapy with cisplatin plus 5-fluorouracil followed by radiation therapy for those patients who achieved a greater than 50% partial response. Overall survival did not differ between the two groups, and toxicity rate was acceptable in the chemotherapy arm. Induction chemotherapy, compared with total laryngectomy, was considered an alternative treatment without compromising disease control or survival.

The standard PF regimen was evaluated for patients with hypopharyngeal tumors in the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer 24891 study, and long-term data have been recently published ( 14 ). The five- and 10-year overall survival rates were, respectively, 32.6% (95% CI = 23.0% to 42.1%) and 13.8% (95% CI = 6.1% to 21.6%) in the surgery arm and 38.0% (95% CI = 28.4% to 47.6%) and 13.1% (95% CI = 5.6% to 20.6%) in the CT arm, demonstrating the noninferiority of the CT arm (noninferiority: P = .002). At 10.5 years, there was no statistical difference in the cumulative incidence of first progression ( P = .13), loco-regional failure ( P = .84), or distant metastases ( P = .14) between the CT and surgery arms.

The phase III US intergroup trial RTOG 91-11 ( 15 ), which included more than 500 patients, was designed more than two decades ago and compared radiation therapy with concomitant chemotherapy using cisplatin (100mg/m ² on days 1, 22, and 43), induction chemotherapy with cisplatin (P) plus 5-fluorouracil (F) followed by radiation therapy, and radiation therapy alone. After a median follow-up for the surviving patients of 10.8 years, there was still a statistically significant advantage for receiving concomitant cisplatin for larynx preservation compared with the induction chemotherapy and radiation therapy alone treatment groups, with a 54% reduction in the relative risk of laryngectomy compared with radiation therapy alone (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.46, 95% CI = 0.30 to 0.71, P = .001) and a 42% reduction with the induction PF regimen (HR = 0.58, 95% CI = 0.37 to 0.89, P = .005). There was no statistical difference between the radiation therapy alone arm and the PF induction chemotherapy arm (HR = 1.26, 95% CI = 0.88 to 1.82, P = .35). Regarding laryngectomy-free survival (LFS), there was no difference and similar efficacy between the concomitant arm and the induction arm, and both arms had statistically significantly better outcomes than the radiation therapy alone group. No differences in overall survival, late toxicity, or speech and swallowing functionality were demonstrated.

The benefits of adjunctive docetaxel to cisplatin plus 5-fluorouracil as an induction chemotherapy for patients with loco-regionally advanced, unresectable disease were demonstrated in the TAX 323 study ( 7 ). Patients in the TPF group had a statistically significant 27% reduction in mortality ( P = .02), improved median overall survival of 4.3 months, and an absolute increase in three-year survival of 10.9%. In a recent short-term health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) update based on the TAX 323 study ( 16 ), the TPF regimen showed a trend towards improved global HRQOL compared with the PF arm. The mean difference between the treatment arms at six months, after the end of RT, was 9.5 points, which was very close to the clinically meaningful change of 10 points and was statistically significant ( P = .0092). Unfortunately, compliance was too low to draw definitive conclusions. The TAX 324 randomized phase III study evaluated the longer-term benefits of three cycles of TPF as an induction chemotherapy (docetaxel 75mg/m ² , followed by intravenous cisplatin 100mg/m ² plus fluorouracil 1000mg/m ² per day, administered as a continuous 24-hour infusion for 4 days) compared with three cycles of PF (intravenous cisplatin 100mg/m ² , followed by fluorouracil 1000mg/m ² per day as a continuous 24-hour infusion for 5 days) given to patients with stage III or IV squamous cell carcinoma of the head or neck. Both groups also then received seven weeks of chemoradiotherapy with concomitant weekly carboplatin (area under the curve = 1.5) ( 17 ). After a median follow-up of 72.2 months, five-year overall survival was statistically significantly better after treatment with TPF vs PF (52% vs 42%, HR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.58 to 0.94). Median overall survival and progression-free survival rates were statistically significantly better in patients who received the TPF regimen (70.6 vs 34.8 months, 95% CI = 49.0 to 89.0, P = .014; 38.1 vs 13.2 months; HR = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.60 to 0.94, P = .0011, respectively). However, in a Spanish phase III trial, Hitt et al. ( 18 ) did not confirm this result. After a short follow-up of approximately 23 months, they found no statistical difference in terms of progression-free survival and time to treatment failure between induction chemotherapy with TPF followed by chemoradiotherapy with cisplatin, induction chemotherapy with PF followed by chemoradiotherapy with cisplatin, or chemoradiotherapy with cisplatin alone. This failure may have been because of a lack of power in the study’s design and the short follow-up period.

Another approach for organ preservation has been to alternate chemotherapy and radiotherapy schedules ( 19 ). Alternating chemotherapy with PF and radiation therapy vs induction chemotherapy with PF followed by radiation therapy for larynx and hypopharynx cancers did not show any statistical differences regarding outcomes, larynx preservation, or toxicity. Lower doses of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and a split-course layout may have contributed to this negative result. The absence of an effect from the induction chemotherapy with PF and the benefit of concurrent chemotherapy to improve overall survival, loco-regional control, and larynx preservation rate were consistent with a previous meta-analysis on chemotherapy given for head-and-neck cancer and with updated data ( 5 , 20–22 ).

More recently, three meta-analyses have confirmed the superiority of an induction chemotherapy by adding taxane (T) to cisplatin (P) and 5-fluorouracil (F) ( 23–25 ). Blanchard et al. ( 25 ) concluded in one of these meta-analyses, which included five randomized trials representing a total of 1772 patients, that the TPF induction regimen was superior to PF induction regarding overall survival, with an absolute benefit at five years of 7.4% (from 35.0% to 42.4%) (HR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.70 to 0.89, P < .001), improved progression-free survival (HR = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.60 to 0.87, P < .001), decreased loco-regional failure (HR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.66 to 0.94, P = .007), and decreased distant failure (HR = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.45 to 0.89, P = .009), with no interactions between treatment effects and the patients’ covariates, including tumor stage and primary site.

Our long-term follow-up data confirm the preliminary results of the GORTEC 2000–01 study. An induction chemotherapy with TPF increased the larynx preservation rate and larynx dysfunction–free survival for patients with a resectable stage III or IV larynx or hypopharynx invasive squamous cell carcinoma when compared with the PF regimen. When the larynx preservation approach using induction chemotherapy is chosen, the TPF regimen should be recommended, followed by radiation therapy. However, improvement in overall survival, disease-free survival, and loco-regional control were not demonstrated with the TPF regimen vs the PF regimen.

Funding

GORTEC – French Head and Neck Oncology Radiotherapy Group.

The sponsors had no role in the study design, data collection or analyses, the interpretation of the results, the preparation of the manuscript, or the decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.