Prognostic factors of unknown primary head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
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.
Huang
Chun-Chi
CC
Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Tseng
Fen-Yu
FY
Yeh
Te-Huei
TH
Wen
Yu-Hsuan
YH
Hsu
Chuang-Jen
CJ
Ko
Jeng-Yuh
JY
Lou
Pei-Jen
PJ
Chen
Yuh-Shyang
YS
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