Docetaxel, Cisplatin and Fluorouracil in Treating Patients With Previously Untreated Stage II-IV Nasal Cavity and Paranasal Sinus Cancer

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: I. To determine the clinical/radiographic complete and partial response rate after induction chemotherapy with docetaxel, cisplatin and fluorouracil (TPF). II. To improve local tumor control to 80% at 2 years. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES I. Disease specific-survival and overall survival rates. II. Organ preservation (orbital, maxillary, cranial) rate. III. Patterns of treatment failure (local, regional, and distant). IV. Acute and late treatment-related toxicity. V. The effect of treatment on Quality of Life with and without surgery (i.e., M. D. Anderson Symptom Inventory \[MDASI\], M. D. Anderson Dysphagia Inventory \[MDADI\], Xerostomia Questionnaire, Performance Status Scale for Head \& Neck Cancer Patients \[PSS-HN\], etc.). VI. To evaluate the effects of induction chemotherapy on biological markers that could serve as surrogates for response and predictors of long-term outcome. OUTLINE: INDUCTION CHEMOTHERAPY: Patients receive docetaxel intravenously (IV) over 1 hour on day 1, cisplatin IV over 30-180 minutes or carboplatin IV on day 1, and fluorouracil IV continuously on days 1-4. Cycles repeat every 3 weeks for up to 2 cycles in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients who achieve complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) receive 1 additional course of treatment and undergo chemoradiotherapy over 6-7 weeks. Patients who have stable disease (SD) or progressive disease (PD) to induction therapy, or less than a complete response to chemoradiotherapy undergo surgery and radiation therapy. After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up every 3 months for 2 years, every 4 months for 1 year and every 6 months for 2 years.