title: [Tumour recurrence in squamous head and neck cancer].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  For most patients with squamous head and neck cancer (HN-SCC), locoregional tumour recurrence (TR) carries an extremely poor prognosis and is therapeutically challenging.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To define the clinical aspects of TR and their implication on the survival in patients with HN-SCC.
  
  
  METHODS
  The clinical management and the outcome of 652 patients with HN-SCC were reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall incidence of TR in this series of HN-SCC was 19.9% (n=130). The most frequent locations of the primary cancers were oropharynx (32%), hypopharynx (24%), and oral cavity (21%). The rates of recurrence were locoregional 50%, local 43 % and stomal recurrence 7%. The appearance of a TR reduces the overall survival of patients with HN-SCC to 15%. Survival is better in glottic (38%) and supraglottic (27%), carcinomas, and worse in oro-hypopharynx tumours (2-4%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RT are more frequent in pharyngeal tumours, especially locoregional recurrences. Patients with recurrence in pharynx were definitely associated with poor prognosis and in these cases salvage surgery seems not to improve survival rates.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Otorrinolaringología, Hospital Valle del Nalón, Riaño-Langreo, Asturias, España. alvarezmarcos@telefonica.net
authors.forename: César Antonio
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Alvarez Marcos
authors.forename: José Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Llorente Pendás
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Franco Gutiérrez
authors.forename: Humberto
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fernández Espina
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alonso Guervós
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Suárez Nieto
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hermsen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate