Carcinoma of the floor of the mouth

Records of all patients with carcinoma of the floor of mouth seen at the Indiana School of Medicine University Hospital between March 1965 and March 1975 were reviewed. 126 patients with these tumors were seen during this ten-year period. This study included patient's age, sex, race, family history for cancer, type of treatment received, treatment results and complications. The complications and duration of hospital stay were also studied. 18 of the 126 patients received surgery alone and 108 patients received either preoperative, postoperative or curative radiation therapy. Long-term disease control rates in the early stages of carcinoma of the floor of mouth treated by radiation therapy alone were equivalent or superior to results obtained by surgery alone and patients experienced considerably less complications. In more advanced cases, radiation therapy played an important adjunctive and palliative role.