Dynamic dose-fractionation combined with oxygen breathing at ambient pressure and high-dose metronidazole in head and neck, and uterine cervix cancer.

The paper summarizes the results of dynamic dose-fractionation combined with oxygen breathing at ambient pressure and metronidazole in head and neck, and uterine cervix cancer. The patients were given high oral doses of metronidazole (5-6 g/m2) three hours before dose fractions (4.5 Gy for two days) initiating the radiation treatment series. After successive daily irradiation with 2 X 1 Gy in 8 hours interval (without metronidazole) to the tumor dose 29 Gy, 5-day radiation free interval was inserted and then the identical treatment series was repeated to the total dose 60 Gy. Nausea and vomiting were the principal toxic symptoms which were rather severe in gynecological patients. The benefit of metronidazole combination was studied in comparison with a group of patients given dynamic dose-fractionation with breathing of oxygen only. Preliminary analysis of the data suggests that the combination with radiosensitizer has not produced an increase in the curability of cancer in these particular sites.