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Updated: Aug 16, 2026

Therapy Testing in a Spheroid-based 3D Cell Culture Model for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Published on: April 20, 2018
Treatment-outcome for synchronous head-and-neck and oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma
Stefan Welz1, Angelika Schmid, Thomas Hehr
1Department of Radiation Oncology, Eberhard-Karls-University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany. stefan.welz@med.uni-duesseldorf.de
Background And Purpose:
Although head & neck and oesophageal carcinomas occur synchronously in up to 12%, almost no data on feasibility and outcome after radiotherapy are available.
Materials And Methods:
From 1989 to 2002, 24 patients were treated at Tuebingen University and Fulda hospital with a radiation based, curative approach. These were analyzed retrospectively.
Results:
The median overall survival was 37 (1-69) months with a few long-term survivors with a median follow-up of 26 months for patients at risk. 7 local recurrences occurred. No major toxicity was seen.
Discussion:
Even though the prognosis of synchronous head & neck and oesophageal carcinomas is grim, long-term survival is possible. A radiation-based approach is feasible and can be chosen for a curative treatment approach which we recommend.
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