title: Re-irradiation in head and neck cancers: an Indian tertiary cancer centre experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the treatment outcomes of patients treated with re-irradiation for recurrent or second primary head and neck cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  An analysis was performed of 79 head and neck cancer patients who underwent re-irradiation for second primaries or recurrent disease from January 1999 to December 2011.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median time from previous radiation to re-irradiation for second primary or recurrence was 53.6 months (range, 2.7-454.7 months). Median age at diagnosis of first primary was 54 years. Median re-irradiation dose was 45 Gy (range, 45-60 Gy). Acute grade 3 or worse toxicity was seen in 30 per cent of patients. Median progression-free survival for recurrent disease was 15.0 months (95 per cent confidence interval, 8.33-21.66). The following factors had a statistically significant, positive impact on progression-free survival: patient age of less than 50 years (median progression-free survival was 29.43, vs 13.9 months for those aged 50 years or older; p = 0.004) and disease-free interval of 2 years or more (median progression-free survival was 51.66, vs 13.9 months for those with less than 2 years disease-free interval).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Re-irradiation of second primaries or recurrences of head and neck cancers with moderate radiation doses yields acceptable progression-free survival and morbidity rates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology,All India Institute of Medical Sciences,New Delhi,Delhi,India.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mallick
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology,All India Institute of Medical Sciences,New Delhi,Delhi,India.
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Gandhi
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology,All India Institute of Medical Sciences,New Delhi,Delhi,India.
authors.forename: N P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Joshi
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology,All India Institute of Medical Sciences,New Delhi,Delhi,India.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pandit
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology,All India Institute of Medical Sciences,New Delhi,Delhi,India.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bhasker
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology,All India Institute of Medical Sciences,New Delhi,Delhi,India.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology,All India Institute of Medical Sciences,New Delhi,Delhi,India.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thakar
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology,All India Institute of Medical Sciences,New Delhi,Delhi,India.
authors.forename: B K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Mohanti
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000532:radiotherapy; D019233:Retreatment; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers; D016896:Treatment Outcome