Intra-arterial chemotherapy for head and neck cance

Purpose. To evaluate the effectiveness of intra-arterial chemotherapy alone and as part of combined treatment in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, as well as to search for new promising directions in this area.
Material and methods. The analysis of available literature sources was performed using the Medline, Pubmed, Elibrary, and other databases. The authors found 97 studies, and 31 of them were used to write the literature review. Results. Research is ongoing to optimize and improve the efficacy of the existing, generally recognized methods of treating patients with head and neck tumors. In this aspect, the developed method of intra-arterial chemotherapy (IACT) using high doses of cisplatin with concurrent neutralization (simultaneous intravenous bolus administration) with sodium thiosulfate and radiation therapy (RADPLAT) deserves attention. Three types of access to the arteries are used for conducting IACT in patients with head and neck cancer. IACT has improved oncological results in patients with locally advanced tumors and allowed to achieve the overall and recurrence-free survival of up to 90.0% and 83.3%, respectively. However, this method leads to specific complications in some cases (up to 3.5%): transient ischemic attack, soft tissue necrosis, peripheral neuropathy. Careful patient selection and correct IACT implementation can minimize complication rates.
Conclusion. IACT increases the effectiveness of the combined treatment of patients with head and neck tumors, and represents a promising direction in the field of personalized approach to chemotherapy.
Key words: intra-arterial chemotherapy, head and neck cancer, quality of life, regional chemotherapy
Conflicts of interest. The author have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Funding. There was no funding for this study