Radiation Therapy Alone Compared to Radiation Therapy Plus Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Previously Untreated Cancer of the Nasopharynx

Head and Neck Cancer

stage III lymphoepithelioma of the nasopharynx, stage IV squamous cell carcinoma of the nasopharynx, stage III squamous cell carcinoma of the nasopharynx, stage IV lymphoepithelioma of the nasopharynx

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. It is not yet known whether radiation therapy alone is more effective than radiation therapy plus chemotherapy in treating cancer of the nasopharynx. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying how well radiation therapy and chemotherapy works compared to radiation therapy alone in treating patients with previously untreated cancer of the nasopharynx.

OBJECTIVES: * Compare the clinical response, distant metastases, disease-free survival, and overall survival in patients with previously untreated, locally advanced, nonmetastatic nasopharyngeal cancer treated with radiotherapy alone vs concurrent chemoradiotherapy followed by adjuvant chemotherapy. OUTLINE: This is a randomized study. Patients are randomized to receive radiotherapy alone (arm I) or concurrent chemoradiotherapy followed by adjuvant chemotherapy (arm II). * Arm I: Patients receive radiotherapy once daily 5 times a week for 7 weeks. * Arm II: Patients receive cisplatin IV over 6-8 hours for 4 consecutive days every 3 weeks for 3 courses. Concurrent radiotherapy is given once daily 5 times a week over the 7 week treatment period. This chemoradiotherapy is followed 3 weeks later by adjuvant chemotherapy. Patients receive cisplatin IV and fluorouracil IV over 6-8 hours for 4 consecutive days every 4 weeks for 3 courses. Patients are followed every 4 months for the first year, every 6 months for the next 2 years, and then annually thereafter until death. PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A minimum of 200 patients will be accrued for this study.

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