Results of surgical treatment of T3 and T4 tumors of the oral cavity and oropharynx.

The combined use of surgery and radiotherapy is commonly accepted as the most effective treatment for locally advanced head and neck cancers. T3 and T4 tumors of the oral cavity and oropharynx often necessitate extensive local surgery. From 1981 to 1988, 199 patients with T3 and T4 tumors of the oral cavity and oropharynx were treated. One hundred seventeen patients underwent surgery plus postoperative radiotherapy; 78 had flap reconstructions. This series is extremely homogeneous because surgery was always performed by two surgeons, whereas radiotherapy was the responsibility of the same physician. The results of this study show a 96% local control rate at the end of treatment among the patients with combined treatment. The average time by which hospitalization was prolonged due to surgery was 29 days. The type and delay of recurrences and survival in relation with node involvement are also discussed. Extensive surgery in association with radiotherapy remains a reliable treatment in such patients.