title: Postoperative irradiation for tonsillar carcinoma.
abstract: From January 1975 through July 1987 at the Mayo Clinic, 16 patients received postoperative adjuvant radiation therapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsil (pathologic stage I in 4 patients, stage III in 3, and stage IV in 9). Follow-up was continued for a minimum of 2 years or until death. At 5 years, overall survival was 74% and disease-free survival was 68% for the entire group of patients. The local-regional control rate at 5 years was 83% for 12 patients with pathologic stage III or IV disease; the 5-year disease-free survival rate was 74%. The results with use of postoperative irradiation for stage III or IV tonsillar cancer seem superior to those for a similar historical group of patients who underwent surgical treatment only. Because the number of patients was small and the analysis was retrospective, our study may have included some undetected bias.
authors.affiliation: Division of Radiation Oncology, Mayo Clinic Rochester, MN 55905.
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Foote
authors.forename: K D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Schaid
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Grado
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Buskirk
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Earle
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D014067:Tonsillar Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery