Squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue

Between 1958 and 1983 at Beilinson Medical Center, Petah Tiqva, Israel, 75 patients were diagnosed as having squamous cell carcinoma of the body of the tongue. Of these, 42 were male and 33 female and the average age at the time of diagnosis was 61.6 years. 29.33% were in clinical stage I, 36% in stage II, 26.67% in stage III and 8% in stage IV. Fifteen patients underwent only surgery, nine received only irradiation and 51 received combined treatment. The 5-year survival rate was 68.3% with a significant difference between that for stage I (90%) and stage II (83.7%) and that for stages III and IV (43.07% and 0%, respectively) (P less than 0.001). Among the 24 with recurrence of the malignancy, 20 died despite treatment and four patients died of causes unrelated to the malignancy. From this experience it was concluded that local excision of the tumor should be performed only in stage I patients and that in stage II patients prophylactic treatment of the neck (neck dissection and irradiation) should be undertaken because of the high incidence of occult metastases.