Head & Neck Chemotherapy

Cancer can occur anywhere in the body, affecting any organ. Head and neck cancer is deadly for those who do not seek treatment. Chemotherapy is one form of treatment used by doctors for patients with head and neck cancer. According to the American Head and Neck Society, chemotherapy has been used to treat tumors in a variety of settings.

Function

• Doctors treat head and neck cancer with a variety of treatments, including chemotherapy. Chemotherapy may be used before, during or after other forms of treatment. For example, chemo is performed before radiation therapy to help preserve an organ. It is used concurrently with radiation for better control over local advanced tumors and to prevent spreading. It is also used after surgery or radiation to prevent recurrence. Chemotherapy can also be used as palliative therapy for patients with advanced and metastatic cancers.

Types of Drugs

• There are an abundant number of drugs used in chemotherapy. They can be taken orally or intravenously, and they can be administered in a hospital setting or at home. The drug agents that have been used for head and neck cancers include cisplatinum, carboplatinum, taxanes, 5-fluorouracil, methotrexate and ifosphamide. These drugs may be used singly or in combination with other drugs and procedures.

Preliminary Examination

• Chemotherapy affects all the cells in a person's body, and a doctor must perform a thorough physical examination of a patient before any type of treatment is administered. This examination includes getting the patient's full medical history and consulting with the head and neck surgeon and radiation oncologist to determine the best method of treating the cancer. Physically, the doctor must distinguish the extent of the cancer as well as any other health issues the patient may be suffering from. Any type of condition affecting the patient's health may prevent the doctor from using chemotherapy as an approach to fighting the cancer.

Side Effects

• Chemotherapy has many side effects that may or may not affect individual cancer patients. Tiredness, nausea and hair loss are the most common of these side effects. Certain drugs used for head and neck chemotherapy can cause specific side effects of their own. For example, according to the American Head and Neck Society, cisplatinum can trigger renal failure and ototoxicity. The chemo drugs 5-fluorouracil and methotrexate are known to cause mucosal toxicity. In addition, some side effects may be more likely to occur when chemotherapy is used in combination with other forms of treatments like radiation or surgery.

Results

• The American Head and Neck Society claims there is no "ideal" treatment path yet created for people with head and neck cancer. The tumor response rate to a single drug is 15 to 35 percent while combinations of drugs have higher response rates. The goal of the treatment will be the main factor in determining the path to be taken by the doctor and patient. For example, if the main goal is to treat a local tumor and prevent it from spreading to other parts of the body, the treatment will most likely be a combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Chemotherapy will be used alone as palliative therapy for a patient whose cancer is advanced, unable to be removed by surgery, recurrent or metastasized.