title: Efficacy of surgical salvage for advanced neck metastases after radiotherapy failure.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the efficacy of surgical salvage in patients with metastatic squamous cell carcinoma to the neck of stage N2 or N3 initially treated with radiotherapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective review.
  
  
  METHODS
  Tertiary care institution.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four hundred and twenty-five patients received neck dissection at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre between 1990 and 1996. Sixty-one patients had neck dissection for salvage after radical radiotherapy for advanced neck disease of stage N2 or N3. These patients were selected from the Sunnybrook Head and Neck Database and reviewed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Survival and recurrence.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-one patients underwent neck dissection for salvage after radiotherapy. Five-year overall survival was 30%. The majority (72%) failed locoregionally after surgical salvage.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Surgical salvage after radiotherapy for advanced neck disease has a 30% 5-year survival rate. Surgical salvage after radiotherapy for advanced neck disease is effective in a minority of patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center, and The University of Toronto, Ontario.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pathak
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gilbert
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Davidson
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brit
mesh_terms: D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000556:secondary / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000528:radiation effects; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016879:Salvage Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D015996:Survival Rate; D013997:Time Factors; D017211:Treatment Failure