[Short- to mid-term evaluation of CT-guided 125I brachytherapy on recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancers].
OBJECTIVE
to evaluate the short- and medium-term clinical effects of 125I seed implantation on recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancers.


METHODS
Thirty patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancers after operation, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy, totaling 421 lesions 4.2 (2-9) cm in diameter, 23 males and 12 females, aged 56 (39-71), underwent implantation of 12-70 125I seeds (on average 33 per person) under the guidance of CT, ultrasonography, or endoscopy with an interval of 1 cm between any 2 seeds with the radioactive activity per seed of 29.6 MBq and matched peripheral dose of 90-160 Gy. Follow-up was conducted for 13 (4-40) months to observe the local control rate, overall survival rate, pain relief, and clinical complications.


RESULTS
Follow-up 4 months later showed that 24 of the 42 lesions obtained complete remission, 11 obtained partial remission, 5 no change, and 2 progress of disease, with a clinical response rate of 83.3% (CR+PR). The overall 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rates were 88.4%, 72.4%, and 45.2% respectively with a median survival time of 31 months. The pain relief rate was 73.4% (17/23). The long-term complications included hyperpigmentation at operative sites (n=4), insensible feeling on lateral cheek (n=3), dryness of oral cavity (n=2), and headache combined with infection (n=1).


CONCLUSIONS
Relieving the pain, improving the life quality, CT guided radioactive 125I seed implantation is a simple, safe, and effective method in treating recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer with minimal damage and few complications.
Huang
Zi-lin
ZL
State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Department of Medical Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Cancer Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510060, China.
Li
Chuan-xing
CX
Zhang
Fu-jun
FJ
Jiao
De-chao
DC
Wu
Pei-hong
PH
Zhang
Tao
T
Wang
Jun-jie
JJ
Duan
Guang-feng
GF
Wu
Yue-xia
YX
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001918:Brachytherapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000556:secondary; D006801:Humans; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes