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Combined therapy in advanced head and neck cancers
S Bahadur1, S Kumar, D A Tandon
1Department of Otolaryngology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.
The Journal of Laryngology and Otology
|May 1, 1992
Summary
Combined therapy for advanced head and neck cancers significantly reduces treatment failures. This approach, integrating surgery with radiation, offers improved survival rates for patients with stage III and IV disease.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Surgical Oncology
- Radiation Oncology
Background:
- Single modality treatments (surgery or radiotherapy alone) yield unsatisfactory outcomes for advanced head and neck cancers.
- Advanced stages (III and IV) of head and neck cancers require more effective therapeutic strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of combined pre- or post-operative radiation and radical surgery for resectable stage III and IV head and neck cancers.
- To assess treatment failure rates and survival outcomes in patients receiving combined modality therapy.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 252 patients with stage III and IV resectable head and neck cancers.
- Treatment involved a combined regimen of radical surgery with either pre- or post-operative radiation therapy.
- Patient compliance and treatment completion were monitored.
Main Results:
- Out of 193 patients who completed the protocol, 58 (33.5%) experienced treatment failure at primary or regional sites.
- Distant metastasis occurred in 9 cases (5%).
- Absolute and determinate four-year disease-free survival rates were 55% and 61%, respectively.
Conclusions:
- Combined therapy demonstrates a correlation with reduced primary and regional failures in advanced head and neck cancers.
- While effective, the prolonged treatment duration may impact patient compliance.
- This multimodal approach offers a promising strategy for improving outcomes in resectable advanced head and neck cancers.