title: Prognostic factors of unknown primary head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the prognostic factors of unknown primary head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with unknown primary HNSCC from 1980 to 2000 were included.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-eight patients, predominantly male and with a mean age of 63.3+/-11.6 years, were recruited. The median survival time (MST) was 44 months. The overall survival rate was 60.4 percent at three years and 39.6 percent at five years. Forty-two patients receiving intervention regimens had a MST of 45 months, while six patients receiving palliative therapy had a MST of 8.5 months (log rank test, P=0.016). With multivariate Cox regression analysis, age (per year), higher nodal stage (N3 vs N1 or N2), and treatment (operation vs nonoperation) had a hazard ratio of 1.081 (P<0.0001), 5.852 (P=0.010), and 0.4 (P=0.042), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Older age, higher nodal stage, and palliative treatment indicated poor prognosis. Survival time might be prolonged if surgical treatment is tolerable.
authors: Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors: Chun-Chi
authors: CC
authors: Huang
authors: Fen-Yu
authors: FY
authors: Tseng
authors: Te-Huei
authors: TH
authors: Yeh
authors: Yu-Hsuan
authors: YH
authors: Wen
authors: Chuang-Jen
authors: CJ
authors: Hsu
authors: Jeng-Yuh
authors: JY
authors: Ko
authors: Pei-Jen
authors: PJ
authors: Lou
authors: Yuh-Shyang
authors: YS
authors: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary* / Q000628:therapy; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009382:Neoplasms, Unknown Primary / Q000401:mortality*; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis