A questionnaire survey of current UK practice for adjuvant radiotherapy following surgery for oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.
A postal questionnaire was sent to 281 members of the British Association of Head and Neck Oncologists (BAHNO) to survey, which patients should receive adjuvant radiotherapy following primary surgery for oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (O&OSCC). Two hundred and one clinicians were involved in decision making for adjuvant radiotherapy in O&OSCC, of which, 132 (66%) responded. Apart from general agreement that patients with involved margins or extracapsular spread (ECS) should have adjuvant radiotherapy and that in patients with small tumours with clear margins and no neck metastasis, radiotherapy should be avoided, opinion was divided. Considerable variation in opinion in the UK was identified for a subgroup of intermediate risk patients as to whether they should have adjuvant radiotherapy. The majority of respondents (95%) would consider submitting patients to a prospective multi-centre trial. There is a need for research regarding adjuvant radiotherapy for O&OSCC patients at intermediate risk of relapse following primary surgery.
Blackburn
Tim K
TK
Merseyside Head and Neck Cancer Centre, Regional Maxillofacial Unit, University Hospital Aintree, Lower Lane, Liverpool, Merseyside L9 7AL, United Kingdom. blacktk@doctors.org.uk
Bakhtawar
Syeda
S
Brown
James S
JS
Lowe
Derek
D
Vaughan
E D
ED
Rogers
Simon N
SN
D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008511:Medicine; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009959:Oropharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D018579:Patient Selection; D011364:Professional Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012307:Risk Factors; D013038:Specialization; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires