The authors present a series of 178 @entity1 with Stage III or IV @entity957 of the @entity135 treated by rapid irradiation using multiple and small fractions per day. An initial group of 91 @entity1 (G1) received a total dose of 72 Gy in 80 sessions and 10 days, according to the following split course schedule: J1 to J5, 36 Gy in 40 sessions, eight daily fractions of .9 Gy separated by 2 hours; J6 to J20, rest period; J21 to J25, same as in J1 except that the spinal cord was shielded. This protocol was altered for the following 87 @entity1 (G2) by lessening the total dose to 60 to 66 Gy and the number of fractions to 60. The rest period was lengthened to 4 weeks. All @entity1 but five completed the whole program and the minimal follow-up period was 24 months. At the end of irradiation, 121 @entity1 achieved a total remission, but local recurrences occurred in 56%. Moreover, acute intolerance was considered as severe in 34% of G1 @entity1 , and included extensive @entity39 and @entity548 . Although this rate was significantly reduced in G2 @entity1 , late complications were observed in 20 of the 25 survivors, and included trismus, cervical @entity1463 , and recurrent @entity4 . The crude survival rate is 13% at 2 years. Although this study was not randomized, this particular type of accelerated and hyperfractionated @entity18274 of irradiation did not really improve the clinical results in advanced @entity189 of the @entity135 . Other schedules and probably other @entity5 , less extended, should be tested.

Rapid hyperfractionated radiotherapy. Clinical results in 178 advanced @entity957 of the XXXX .

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients'] @entity135 :: ('MESH:D006258', 'Disease') :: ['head and neck'] @entity548 :: ('MESH:D006470', 'Disease') :: ['bleeding'] @entity39 :: ('MESH:D009336', 'Disease') :: ['mucosal necrosis'] @entity5 :: ('MESH:D009369', 'Disease') :: ['tumors'] @entity4 :: ('MESH:D004487', 'Disease') :: ['laryngeal edema'] @entity957 :: ('MESH:D002294', 'Disease') :: ['squamous cell carcinoma'] @entity189 :: ('MESH:D002277', 'Disease') :: ['carcinoma'] @entity18274 :: ('MESH:D009100', 'Disease') :: ['combination'] @entity1463 :: ('MESH:D012598', 'Disease') :: ['sclerosis']
@entity135 :: (MESH:D006258,Disease) :: ['head and neck']
