Retromolar trigone squamous cell carcinoma treated with radiotherapy alone or combined with surgery: a 10-year update

Treatment outcomes were analyzed for patients who received radiotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the retromolar trigone at a single institution.

We reviewed the medical records of 110 patients treated with radiotherapy alone (n=36) or radiotherapy combined with surgical resection of the primary tumor (n=74) between June 1966 and October 2013. The median follow-up was 4.5years for all patients and 11.8years for living patients (range, 1.3-23.5years).

The 5-year local-regional control rates after definitive radiotherapy versus surgery and radiotherapy for stages I-III were 52% and 89% and for stage IV they were 46% and 58%, respectively. The 5-year cause-specific survival rates after definitive radiotherapy compared with surgery and radiotherapy for stages I-III were 57% and 82% and for stage IV they were 45% and 43%, respectively. Multivariate analyses revealed that the likelihood of cure was better with surgery and radiotherapy compared with radiotherapy alone (p=0.041).

Patients treated with surgery and radiotherapy had a better chance of cure than those treated with radiotherapy alone. Complications of treatment were common in both groups but more common in patients who underwent surgery.