Advanced carcinoma of the tonsil. Treatment results

A series of 205 patients with advanced carcinoma of the tonsil treated with irradiation is reported. The overall 3-year survival for stage, I, II and III patients was 63 per cent and the 5-year survival 35 per cent. The 5-year survival for stage IV patients was 9 per cent. The volume of the tumor and the extent of lymph node metastases were important prognostic factors for survival. The strongest factor influencing survival was the initial performance status independent o state (p less than 0.001).