Clinical Evaluation of High Weekly Intravenous Doses of Methotrexate in Advanced Oropharyngeal Carcinoma

Abstract

Methotrexate (MTX) was given by weekly rapid intravenous injections to 27 patients with inoperable oropharyngeal carcinoma. 9 cases were untreated while 18 had received radiotherapy or chemotherapy before administration of MTX. In 20 cases the dose was 40 mg/m2/week (patients over 50 years) and in 7 cases 60 mg/m2/week (table 1). In responsive patients, maintenance treatment was given at the dose of 15 mg/m2 every 4 days either orally or intramuscularly. 23 cases were adequately evaluable, i.e. they received treatment for a minimum of 3 weeks. Response to treatment was evaluated according to Karnofsky's scale. Considering only category 1 regressions, 11/16 (75%) patients adequately treated with 40 mg/m2 showed objective improvement and respectively 4/7 (57%) given 60 mg/m*. 8 out of 15 cases (41%) with category 1 response showed a regression greater than 50%. The mean duration of response for category 1 patients was 3.5 months, while the longest regression lasted 9 months (table 2). 18 patients had one or more side effects: 9 had oral lesions or gastroenteritis, 12 bone marrow depression, 3 hepatic and 1 renal toxicity. One patient died from hepatic and renal toxicity; in the remaining cases the side effects were quickly reversible (table 3). The percent regression rate for category 1 response and its average duration obtained with intravenous MTX seems comparable to intraarterial infusion (table 4). Systemic toxicity seems also comparable (table 5). Furthermore, intravenous administration obviates the typical local complications occurring with intra-arterial treatment and therapy can be given also at outpatients. For this reason, intravenous administration of MTX is preferred to intra-arterial infusion in the control of primary inoperable oropharyngeal carcinomas, provided no severe depression of liver, kidney and bone marrow is present.