Chemoradiation for patients with advanced oral cavity cancer.
OBJECTIVE
Patients with advanced oral cavity cancer (OCC) typically have not been enrolled in clinical trials utilizing contemporary multimodality strategies. There exist dogmatic expectations of inferior outcome in OCC patients secondary to ineffectiveness of treatment and unacceptable toxicity. The purpose of this study was to analyze survival, swallowing function, and incidence of osteoradionecrosis (ORN) of patients with stage III/IV OCC who have undergone primary concomitant chemoradiotherapy (CRT).


METHODS
All advanced OCC patients who were enrolled in University of Chicago concomitant CRT protocols from 1994 to 2008 were reviewed. One hundred eleven newly diagnosed advanced OCC patients were evaluated. We performed a subset analysis of 27 additional advanced OCC patients who underwent surgery followed by postoperative CRT. Swallowing function was assessed via oropharyngeal motility study, and a Swallowing Performance Status Scale score was assigned. Presence of clinically significant ORN was documented.


RESULTS
Median follow-up was 3.25 years. Five-year overall and progression-free survival was 66.9% and 65.9%, respectively. There was no difference in overall or progression-free survival when the surgery-first group was compared with the primary CRT group (P = .88 and P = .86 respectively). Function, without gastric tube requirement, was excellent, with 92.2% of patients able to maintain weight via oral route. Incidence of ORN was 18.4%, occurring in nine of 49 patients evaluated.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data support the use of primary CRT as a viable treatment option for patients with advanced OCC. Survival is high, and overall function for the majority of patients is satisfactory. Patients with T4 oral tongue cancer may be spared total glossectomy. The incidence of ORN may be considered acceptable, in light of the benefits of enduring life and function.
Stenson
Kerstin M
KM
Section of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA. kstenson@surgery.bsd.uchicago.edu
Kunnavakkam
Rangesh
R
Cohen
Ezra E W
EE
Portugal
Louis D
LD
Blair
Elizabeth
E
Haraf
Daniel J
DJ
Salama
Joseph
J
Vokes
Everett E
EE
D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003679:Deglutition / Q000502:physiology; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D010025:Osteoradionecrosis / Q000209:etiology; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy