title: Treatment of advanced oropharyngeal cancers with chemotherapy and radiation.
abstract: We conducted a retrospective chart review of treatment outcomes in 17 adults who had been selected to undergo concomitant chemotherapy and radiation (chemo/XRT) for late-stage oropharyngeal cancers. All patients had been treated at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center between March 1, 1998, and Sept. 30, 2000. Nine patients had a primary tumor at the base of the tongue, five had a primary tumor in the tonsillar area, and three had a tumor that affected both sites. Of this group, 15 patients completed one to three cycles of chemo/XRT, and the remaining two died during therapy. At the most recent follow-up, 9 of the 17 patients (52.9%) were documented to still be alive; seven patients had earlier died as a result of their primary tumor or a distant metastasis, and one patient had been lost to follow-up after completing treatment. At study's end, the duration of post-treatment survival ranged from 2 to 36 months (mean: 12.5). Based on the results of our small series, we conclude that chemo/XRT is a valid alternative to surgery with postoperative radiation and to radiation alone. Chemo/XRT yields acceptable rates of local control and allows for organ preservation with tolerable side effects.
authors.affiliation: Division of Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, USA.
authors.forename: Maria M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: LoTempio
authors.forename: Marilene B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sadeghi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001918:Brachytherapy / Q000379:methods*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009959:Oropharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods*; D011379:Prognosis; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012494:Sampling Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome