Adjuvant therapy may improve survival in patients with early stage oral tongue cancer

Source: www.docguide.com Author: Louise Gagnon Patients with earlier stage oral tongue cancer disease may benefit from adjuvant combined modality therapy after surgery, according to a retrospective study presented at the 2nd World Congress of the International Academy of Oral Oncology (IAOO). The study looked at 50 patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the oral tongue, 38 of whom were newly diagnosed with the condition. The patients were all treated between 1999 and 2007 at the University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado. Of the 38 patients who were recently diagnosed, 13 had either stage I or II cancer, and 25 had more advanced stage III or IV disease. All but 1 of the 50 patients was initially treated with surgery, with the 1 patient who refused surgery being treated with chemoradiation as the primary modality. "Most of the patients received adjuvant therapy after surgery," said one of the study's authors Changhu Chen, MD, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Colorado, at an oral abstract session here on July 9. Of the 50 patients, 42 received adjuvant radiation or chemoradiation. Seven patients with stage I or II disease did not receive adjuvant therapy. Patients were followed for a median of 29 months (range, 4-95 mo). Investigators reported that 2-year locoregional control was 58%, and freedom from distant relapse was 83%. While 2-year survival for patients with stage I or stage II oral tongue cancer was 77%, compared with 52% for patients more advanced disease, stages III or IV, the rate of 2-year [...]

Surgery effective in achieving local control of tongue cancer

Source: www.docguide.com Author: Louise Gagnon Surgery is effective in achieving local control of tongue cancer, but additional therapy with radiation does not produce a significant advantage in regional disease control, according to a study presented here at the 2nd World Congress of the International Academy of Oral Oncology (IAOO). The review, presented on July 9, identified 282 patients (mean age, 59 years) who were treatment naïve and then received treatment for squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue between 1994 and 2004 at the Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto, Ontario. "These were newly diagnosed patients who were previously untreated," said David Goldstein, MD, Head and Neck Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgical Oncology, University Health Network and Princess Margaret Hospital and Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario. "We wanted to analyse the outcomes and patterns of failure at our institution." The medical literature suggests a wide variability in outcomes in the management of squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue, according to Dr. Goldstein. A total of 268 (95%) were treated primarily with surgery, and 70 patients (26%) received postoperative adjuvant therapy. The majority of patients were in early stages of cancer. Patients were followed for a median of 4.54 years. The mean tumour thickness was 11 mm. The intent was curative, noted Dr. Goldstein. A minority of patients did not receive surgery as primary treatment, noted Dr. Goldstein, pointing out they received chemoradiation. "These patients were not medically fit for surgery or refused surgery as primary [...]

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