title: Assessment of oropharyngeal cancer.
abstract: The records of 87 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx, treated between 1971 and 1998 at Kitasato University Hospital, were reviewed with the aim of investigating further directions for oropharyngeal cancer treatment. The patients were divided into four major treatment groups: a radiotherapy group; an operation group; a simultaneous chemoradiotherapy group; and a combination treatment group. The 5-year cumulative survival rates for Stages I-IV were 75%, 78%, 68% and 41%, respectively. None of the T4 cases survived for > 5 years. The survival rates of patients with anterior and posterior wall cancers were higher than those with lateral and superior wall cancers. All patients in the operation group survived for 5 years. The survival rates for the combination treatment, radiotherapy and chemoradiotherapy groups were 80%, 57% and 52%, respectively. The 5-year cumulative local control rates for T2-T4 tumors were 61%, 58% and 0%, respectively. The combination therapy (80%) and chemoradiotherapy (66%) groups had significantly higher local control rates than the radiation group (33%). The 5-year cumulative regional control rate according to N classification was approximately 80%, except for N2 lymph nodes, for which only 60% of patients were free of regional recurrences. Approximately 15% of patients with oropharyngeal cancer had either distant metastases or double cancer. We conclude from this review that simultaneous chemoradiotherapy is a good initial therapy for Stages Tl-T3 oropharyngeal cancer. However, for T4 tumors, further combinations of both chemoradiotherapy and surgery and the development of new anticancer drugs for use in chemoradiotherapy, immunotherapy or gene therapy may be needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Kitasato Institute Medical Center Hospital, Saitama, Japan. inagi-k@kitasato.or.jp
authors.forename: Katsuhide
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Inagi
authors.forename: Hiroomi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Makito
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: Meijin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakayama
authors.forename: Tomohiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Makoshi
authors.forename: Hiromi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nagai
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D024221:Antineoplastic Protocols; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009959:Oropharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D009960:Oropharynx / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects / Q000601:surgery; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D015996:Survival Rate