PURPOSE: To evaluate the roles of conventional radiotherapy alone or with neoadjuvant chemotherapy for tonsillar carcinomas and any prognostic factors affecting survivals by retrospective analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty four patients received radical radiotherapy for tonsillar carcinomas from Nov. 1985 to Dec. 1993. Of them, 16 patients were treated by conventional radiotherapy alone and the other 18 patients were received radiotherapy with 1 to 3 cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy of cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil or pepleomycin. Radiotherapy was performed by 6MV X-ray with daily fraction of 1.8Gy and the range of primary tumor doses was 55.0-86.4Gy(median 66.6Gy), and that of clinically positive nodal doses was 55.8-90Gy(median 69.7Gy). RESULTS: Overall 5-year actuarial survival rate (5YSR) was 32%. The 5YSRs in stage I+II(n=8), III(n=13) and IV(n=13) were 47%, 29% and 25%, respectively(p=0.33). The 5YSRs in T2(n=13), T3(n=10) and T4 (n=7) were 38%, 27% and 0%, respectively and 3 of 4 patients of T1 are alive with NED at 25, 45, 53 months respectively with statistical significance of the trend in survivals among the four T-stages(p=0.01), and those of node negative(n=14) vs node positive patients(n=20) were 31% vs 32%, respectively(p=0.85). There was no significant survival difference between radiotherapy alone group and with neoadjuvant chemotherapy group(22% vs. 38%, p=0.24). The 5YSRs of 21 patients of primary tumor extension to adjacent sites and the other 13 patients of tonsillar proper site were 28% and 38%, respectively but the difference was not significant statistically(p=0.62). There was a statistically significant difference in 5YSRs between the groups of the patients who received radiotherapy in less than 61days vs more than 60days(60% vs. 18%, p=0.027). All living patients without any tumor progression(n=11) had suffered from serious late sequelae such as xerostomia, edentia, dental caries and one patient had the osteoradionecrosis of mandible. On univariate analysis, the duration of radiotherapy and T-stage were the significant prognostic factors affecting 5YSR. On multivariate analysis, also the duration of radiotherapy was the only significant prognostic factor(p=0.01). CONCLUSION: There was no survival difference between the radiotherapy alone and with neoadjuvant chemotherapy groups. Although it was a retrospective study, the role of conventional radiotherapy alone could be effective as the local treatment modality only for the early stage of tonsillar carcinomas. But for the purpose of more improved survivals and better quality of lives of living patients, other altered fractionation such as hyperfractionated radiotherapy with shorter treatment time and smaller fraction size rather than conventional radiotherapy might be beneficial and these prospective studies are needed.
Cisplatin ; Dental Caries ; Drug Therapy ; Fluorouracil ; Humans ; Mandible ; Multivariate Analysis ; Osteoradionecrosis ; Peplomycin ; Radiotherapy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Tonsillar Neoplasms ; Xerostomia

Congenital Abnormalities ; Deglutition ; Dentures ; Humans ; Induction Chemotherapy ; Lymph Nodes ; Mouth Neoplasms ; Myocutaneous Flap ; Neck ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Peplomycin ; Tissue Donors

PURPOSE: We tried to evaluate the role of conventional radiotherapy alone or with neoadjuvant chemotherapy in oropharyngeal cancerin terms of survival rates and to identify prognostic factors affecting survival by retrospective analysis. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Forty seven patients of oropharyngeal cancer were treated by conventional radiotherapy in our hospital from Nov. 1985 to Apr.1993. Of these. twenty six patients were treated by conventional radio therapy alone. and 21 patients with neoadjuvant chemotherapy of mostly two or more cycles of cisplatin and pepleomycin. The patient characteristics of radiotherapy alone group and neoadjuvant chemotherapy group were not different generally. Radiotherapy was performed by 6MV-LINAC and the total radiation doses of primary tumors were 54.0-79.2 Gy and cervical lymph nodes were 55.8-90.0 Gy with a fraction size of 1.8 or 2.0 Gy per day. The rangeof follow-up periods was 3-102 months and median was 20 months. The range of age was 33-79 years old and median was 58 years old. RESULTS: Overall 3-year actuarial survival rate (3YSR) of all patients was 39%. The 3YSRs of stage I (n=5), II (n=11), III (n=12) and IV (n=19) were 60, 55,33 and 32% respectively. The 3YSRs of T1+2, T3+4 and No, N+ were 55, 18% (p=0.005) and 43,36% (p>0.1), respectively. There was no difference in 3YSRs between radiotherapy alone group and neoadjuvant chemotherapy group (38 vs 43%, p>0.1). According to the original site of primary tumor, the 3YSRs of tonsil (n=32), base of tongue (n=8), soft palate or uvula(n=6) and pharyngeal wall (n=1) were 36,38,67 and 0%, respectively. The patients of soft palateor uvular cancer had longer survival than other primaries but the difference was not significant statistically (p>0.1). Of 32 patients of tonsillar cancer, 22 patients who had primary extension to adjacent tissue showed inferior survival rate to the ones who had not primary extension, but the difference was marginally significant (24 vs 60%, p=0.08). On Cox multivariate analysis in entire patients with variables of age. T stage. N stage. total duration of radiotherapy, the site of primary tumor and the use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. only T stage was a significant prognostic factor affecting 3YSR. CONCLUSION: The difference of 3YASRs of conventional radiotherapy alone group and neoadjuvant chemotherapy group was not significant statistically. These treatments could be effective in oropharyngeal cancer of early stage, especially such as soft palate, uvular or tonsillar cancer which did not extend to adjacent tissue. But in order to improve the survival of patients of most advanced oropharyngeal caner, other altered fractionated radiotherapy such as hyperfractionation rather than conventional fractionation or multimodel approach combining radiotherapy and accessible surgery or concurrent chemotherapy might be beneficial.
Cisplatin ; Drug Therapy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Oropharyngeal Neoplasms* ; Palate, Soft ; Palatine Tonsil ; Peplomycin ; Radiotherapy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Tongue ; Tonsillar Neoplasms

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to present the treatment results and to identify possible prognostic indicators in patients with locally advanced hypopharyngeal carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between October 1985 to December 2000, 90 patients who had locally advanced stage IV hypopharyngeal carcinoma were studied retrospectively. Twelve patients were treated with radiotherapy alone, 65 patients were treated with a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and 13 patients were treated with surgery and postoperative radiotherapy with or without neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Total radiation dose ranged from 59.0 to 88.2 Gy (median 70 Gy) for radiotherpay alone. Most patients had ciplatin and 5-fluorouracil, and others had cisplatin and pepleomycin or vincristin. Median follow-up period was 15 months. Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival rate and Cox proportional hazard model for multivariate analysis of prognostic factors. RESULTS: Overall 3- and 5-year survival rates were 27% and 17%, respectively. The 2-year locoregional control rates were 33% for radiotherapy alone, 32% for combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and 81% for combined surgery and radiotherapy (p=0.006). The prognostic factors affecting overall survival were T stage, concurrent chemoradiation and treatment response. Overall 3- and 5-year laryngeal preservation rates in combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy were 26% and 22%, respectively. Of these, the 5-year laryngeal preservation rates were 52% for concurrent chemoradiation group (n=11), and 16% for neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy (n=54, p=0.012). CONCLUSION: Surgery and postoperative radiotherapy showed better results than radiotherapy alone or with chemotherapy. Radiotherapy combined with concurrent chemotherapy is an effective modality to achieve organ preservation in locally advanced hypopharyngeal cancer. Further prospective randomized studies will be required.
Cisplatin ; Drug Therapy ; Fluorouracil ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hypopharyngeal Neoplasms* ; Multivariate Analysis ; Organ Preservation ; Peplomycin ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Radiotherapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness, survival rate and complication of radiation therapy in nasopharyngeal cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 1980 to May 1989, Fifty Patients who had nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated with curative radiation therapy at Kosin Medical Center were retrospectively studied. Thirty seven patients(74%) were treated with radiation therapy alone(Group I) and 13 patients (26%) treated with combination fo chemotherapy and radiation(Group II). Age distribution was 16-75 years(median:45.8 years). In histologic type, squamous cell carcinoma was in 30 patients(60%), undifferentiated carcinoma in 17 patinets(34%), and lymphoepithelioma in 3 patients(6%). According to AJCC staging system, 4 patinets(8%) were in T1, 13 patients(2%) in T2, 20 patients(40%) in T3, 13 patients(26%) in T4 and 7 patients(14%) in N0, 6 patients(12%) in N1, 23 patients(46%) in N2, 14 patients (28%) in N3. Total radiaton dose ranges were 5250-9200 cGy(median : 7355 cGy) in Group I and 5360-8400 cGy(median :6758cGy) in Group II. Radiotherapy on 4-6MV linear accelerator and/or 6-12MeV electron in boost radiation was given with conventional thechnique to 26 patinets(52%), with hyperfractionation(115-120cGy/fr., 2times/day) to 16 patients(32%), with accelerated fractionation(160cGy/fr., 2 times/day) to 8 patients(16%). In Chemotherapy, 5 FU 1000mg daily for 5 consecutive days, pepleomycin 10mg on days 1 and 3, and cisplatin 100mg on day 1 were administered with 3 weeks interval, total 1 to 3 cycles(average 1.8cycles) prior to radiation therapy. Follow up duration was 6-140 months(mean:58 months). Statistics was calculated with Chi-square and Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: Complete local control rates in Group I and II were 75.7%, 69.2%. Overall 5 year survival rates in Group I and II were 56.8%, 30.8%. Five year survival rates by histologic type in Group I and II were 52.2, 14.3% in squamous cell carcinoma an d 54.5%, 50% in undifferentiated carcinoma. Survival rates in Group I were superior to those of Group II though there were not statistically significant. In both group, survival rates seem to be increased according to increasing total dose of radiation up to 7500cGy, but not increased beyond it. There were not statistically significant differences in survival rates by age, , stage, and radiation tehchniques in both group. Twenty four patients (48%) experienced treatment failures. Complications were found in 12 patients(24%). The most common one was osteomyelitis(4 patients, 33.3%) involving mandible (3 patients) and maxilla(1patient). CONCLUSION: Chemotherapy in combination with radiotherapy was found to be not effective to nasopharyngeal cancer and the survival rate was also inferior to that of radiation alone group though it was statistically not significant due to small population in chemotherapy combined group.
Age Distribution ; Carcinoma ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cisplatin ; Drug Therapy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Mandible ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms* ; Particle Accelerators ; Peplomycin ; Radiotherapy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Treatment Failure