title: Postoperative radiotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.
abstract: This review discusses the role of postoperative radiotherapy (RT) for patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Patients with unfavorable pathologic features have a high-risk of local-regional recurrence and a decreased likelihood of survival after surgery alone. Postoperative RT reduces the risk of local-regional failure and probably improves survival. Patients who are at high risk for recurrence may benefit from more aggressive altered fractionation schedules to decrease the overall time from surgery to the completion of RT. Adjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy also appears to improve the probability of cure in high-risk patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Florida, College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA. mendewil@shands.ufl.edu
authors.forename: William M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Mendenhall
authors.forename: Russell W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Hinerman
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Amdur
authors.forename: Robert S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Malyapa
authors.forename: Christopher D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Lansford
authors.forename: John W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Werning
authors.forename: Douglas B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Villaret
mesh_terms: D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D011379:Prognosis; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D013997:Time Factors