BACKGROUND: To evaluate the outcome after surgery and radiotherapy for extensive nodal disease in patients with primary head and neck cancer. METHODS: Between 1973 and 1995, 77 from a total of 1398 patients had histopathologic evidence of positive margins in 85 neck dissection specimens for squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, oropharynx, larynx, or hypopharynx. Postoperative radiotherapy with a curative dose was given to 50 necks. Ipsilateral neck recurrence was defined as the relevant event, and cumulative survival distributions were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Differences between groups were analyzed with the log rank test. RESULTS: Disease-free survival was 24.9% at 2 years, and disease-specific survival was 33.6% at 2 years. After restriction of the 50 patients who received postoperative curative radiotherapy, the time to neck recurrence was stratified according to irradiation dosage, with 62.5 Gy as the cutoff point. A statistically significant difference was found for patients treated with 62.5 Gy or more, with a regional control rate of 75.6% at 2 years (p <.036). CONCLUSIONS: The overall outcome after neck dissection with positive surgical margins is poor. Considerable improvement is achieved by postoperative radiotherapy treatment with dosages of 62.5 Gy or more.
BACKGROUND: To evaluate the outcome after surgery and radiotherapy for extensive nodal disease in patients with primary head and neck cancer. METHODS: Between 1973 and 1995, 77 from a total of 1398 patients had histopathologic evidence of positive margins in 85 neck dissection specimens for squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, oropharynx, larynx, or hypopharynx. Postoperative radiotherapy with a curative dose was given to 50 necks. Ipsilateral neck recurrence was defined as the relevant event, and cumulative survival distributions were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Differences between groups were analyzed with the log rank test. RESULTS: Disease-free survival was 24.9% at 2 years, and disease-specific survival was 33.6% at 2 years. After restriction of the 50 patients who received postoperative curative radiotherapy, the time to neck recurrence was stratified according to irradiation dosage, with 62.5 Gy as the cutoff point. A statistically significant difference was found for patients treated with 62.5 Gy or more, with a regional control rate of 75.6% at 2 years (p <.036). CONCLUSIONS: The overall outcome after neck dissection with positive surgical margins is poor. Considerable improvement is achieved by postoperative radiotherapy treatment with dosages of 62.5 Gy or more.
Authors: Scott M Langevin; Roslyn A Stone; Clareann H Bunker; Maureen A Lyons-Weiler; William A LaFramboise; Lori Kelly; Raja R Seethala; Jennifer R Grandis; Robert W Sobol; Emanuela Taioli Journal: Cancer Date: 2010-11-08 Impact factor: 6.860
Authors: Terry A Day; Betsy K Davis; M Boyd Gillespie; John K Joe; Megan Kibbey; Bonnie Martin-Harris; Brad Neville; Mary S Richardson; Steven Rosenzweig; Anand K Sharma; Michelle M Smith; Stacy Stewart; Robert K Stuart Journal: Curr Treat Options Oncol Date: 2003-02