Intra-arterial chemotherapy of ENT cancers

The key element that has determined us to initiate a study concerning the benefits of intra-arterial chemotherapy is the fact that, despite progress regarding therapy, the ENT cancer prognosis is poor, especially in stages that have regional invasion, with a higher risk of therapeutic failure. ENT cancer treatment has raised many questions, the present therapeutic standard being simultaneous radio-chemotherapy with cisplatin, a quality regional control being obtained by hyper-fractionated radiotherapy, targeted on the tumour volume. The technical inconveniences that, in some cases, make impossible the accomplishment of a correct treatment, have determined us to make a retrospective analysis of the studies published in medical journals, with the aim of discerning a therapeutic method that has a role in increasing the loco-regional control of the disease. The studies speak about intra-arterial chemoinfusion with cisplatin, alongside radiotherapy, demonstrating with certainty the superiority of this method versus administrating the drug intravenously, in terms of local tumour control and tolerability. Because the benefits regarding the survival rate and the disease-free period have not reached the statistically significant level, intra-arterial chemoinfusion of cisplatin, alongside radiotherapy, remains a subject that is open to further studies. The efficacy of intra-arterial chemoinfusion of cisplatin hasn’t been studied in the case of a relapse, remaining still a subject that is worthy of being approached, seeing as this method was shown to be efficient regarding the safety profile, having a good tolerability and also having a good activity profile, leading to increase in the quality of life and an increase in survival through a local tumour control that is superior than in the case of intravenous administration of the drug.