The late effects on normal and malignant tissues from 7.5 MeV neutrons in the treatment of advanced mouth cancer.
Seventy of 104 patients with advanced oral cancer lived more than one year after neutron therapy and a local control rate of 74% was obtained. Eighty-nine per cent of these tumours were stage 3 or 4. There were 24 adverse late effects of which 20 involved soft tissues and four involved bone. Thirty eight of 40 mandibles which were normal before treatment remained so despite the curative dose which was given. Seven of 15 mandibles eroded by tumour became clinically normal after treatment. Eight per cent variation in dose was easily discernible in the skin and subcutis. These clinical findings correlated with the low energy of the neutrons and with the relative sparing of bone by neutrons.
D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D005214:Fast Neutrons; D006801:Humans; D009055:Mouth / Q000528:radiation effects*; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D009502:Neutrons; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D013997:Time Factors