Treatment outcome in recurrent head and neck cancer

One hundred cases of recurrent oral, pharyngeal, or laryngeal squamous cancer were reviewed to determine the contribution of retreatment of such lesions to overall survival. Thirty percent (8/27) of locally recurrent T1-2 primary lesions and 4% (1/28) of recurrent T3-4 lesions were cured by retreatment. Forty-five percent (5/11) of patients with conversion of N0 necks were salvaged, while no cures of neck recurrence after an earlier elective (four) or therapeutic (22) neck dissection were seen. Three of eight patients with isolated lung recurrence were salvaged. Patients benefiting most from retreatment were those with local recurrence of small primary lesions, conversion of a previously N0 neck, or isolated lung disease. Those with other types of recurrence were helped much less.