Side effects of IntraDose therapy were generally limited to injection site reactions, the most common of which was pain. The systemic side effects normally associated with systemic cisplatin therapy were infrequent. Head and neck cancers include cancer of the mouth, tongue, sinuses, nasal passages, pharynx, larynx and salivary glands. More than 160,000 Americans are living with head and neck cancer. According to the American Cancer Society approximately 40,000 new cases and 13,000 deaths are reported each year.
Most patients first present with a lump or mass in the mouth, throat, or neck.
Other symptoms include pain, or obstructions such as difficulty in swallowing. Surgery or radiation therapy is the current primary treatment, despite the risk of functional or cosmetic damage. Patients with recurrent disease have poor survival rates. The prognosis for these patients has not improved significantly in the past 30 years. Matrix Pharmaceutical, Inc .