To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Surgery Followed by Radiation Therapy or Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy Both Effective Therapeutic Options for Patients With Small Oropharyngeal Tumours: Presented at AHNS URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/2262DE.htm Doctor's Guide July 22, 2008
By Arushi Sinha SAN FRANCISCO -- July 22, 2008 -- Patients diagnosed with small oropharyngeal tumours with nodal involvement have a wide range of treatment options, according to findings from a study presented here at the American Head and Neck Society (AHNS) 7th International Conference on Head and Neck Cancer. The study compared outcomes in patients undergoing surgical neck dissection followed by adjuvant radiation therapy and in patients receiving chemotherapy and radiation therapy concurrently. The study endpoints included recurrence and disease-free survival, along with extracapsular spread and pathology differentiation. "The aim of our study was to compare the 2 treatment regimens," explained Jeon Yeob Jang, MD, Department of Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Samsung Medical Centre, Seoul, Korea, in a poster presentation on July 20. Dr. Jang and colleagues recruited 38 patients with small, primary tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma (T1-T2) with bulky nodal involvement (N2-N3). The cohort was divided into 2 groups: 22 patients underwent resection using an intraoral approach followed by radiation therapy, and 16 patients received concurrent chemoradiation therapy. Patient demographics in both groups were similar with respect to age (mean, 56 years), gender, and distribution of tumour/nodal staging. The median follow-up time was 33 months (range, 6-75 months). Among patients receiving the surgical and radiotherapy regimen, 1 patient developed contralateral neck recurrence, 1 patient succumbed to nodal metastasis, and 2 did not complete treatment. Among patients receiving chemoradiotherapy, 1 patient developed nodal recurrence, 1 succumbed to pulmonary metastasis, and 2 were unable to complete treatment. Disease-free survival was not significantly different for either treatment arm. Disease-free survival was 86.4% in the surgical and radiotherapy group and 75% in the chemoradiotherapy arm. Other computed tomography findings, such as extracapsular spread or pathology differentiation, were also not found to be significantly different between the groups. Based on these results, the authors concluded that patients diagnosed with small oropharyngeal tumours with nodal involvement have a range of treatment options available to them. Study coauthor, Young-Ik Son, MD, Samsung Medical Centre, Seoul, Korea, said that both treatment methods – "surgery followed by radiation therapy or concurrent chemoradiotherapy -- are effective therapeutic options for these patients." [Presentation title: Therapeutic Option in Patients With Small Primary Tumour in the Oropharynx But With Advanced Cervical Nodal Metastasis. Abstract P115] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.