Results of radiotherapy for carcinoma of the oropharynx

One hundred and forty-four patients with carcinoma of the oropharynx were seen at the South Wales Radiotherapy Centre between 1960 and 1971. The median age was 67 years. Curative treatment by external beam radiotherapy was attempted in three-quarters of the patients, resulting in a local cure rate of 58% and a crude 5-year survival of 37%. Radiotherapy was equally effective in controlling primary growths and lymph node metastases. Distant metastases in the absence of local recurrence in the head and neck occurred very rarely. There are now several new techniques available which offer the possibility of improving local cure without increasing morbidity, but their value must be assessed by careful comparison with existing methods of treatment, preferably by prospective controlled trials.