We have treated four Japanese patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal using concurrent chemoradiotherapy. The chemotherapy consisted of one or two cycles of mitomycin C 10 mg/m(2)/day (intravenous bolus injection) on day 1, and 5-fluorouracil 700 or 1,000 mg/m(2)/day (continuous intravenous infusion) on days 2-5 during radiotherapy. The total radiation dose was 40-54 Gy to the primary lesion. Acute grade 4 hematological toxicity was observed in one patient. These four patients have been alive and free of disease (follow-ups of 55, 14, 7 and 5 months, respectively), with excellent function of the anal sphincter after treatment. These results suggest that concurrent chemoradiotherapy is safe and effective for Japanese patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal.

Kinjo A, Ogawa K, Iraha S, Tamaki W, Toita T, Kakinohana Y, Samura H, Kinjo I, Nishimaki T, Kuniyoshi Y, Murayama S.

Dept. of Radiology, University of the Ryukyus Hospital.