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 locoregional control among patients with stage I or stage II cancer was not as impressive, according to Dr. Chen.

Two-year locoregional control was 35% among patients who had either stage I or stage II cancer, he noted. “When you look at locoregional control, you can see that it was quite low for patients with stage I and II disease,” he told an audience of clinicians. “There is a high risk of locoregional recurrence in these patients.”

The data suggest that patients with earlier stage disease would benefit from additional therapy to avoid relapse, he said. But the findings are limited by the study design, noted Dr. Chen. “It is not a randomised trial,” he said. “It is a retrospective series.”

The study was independently conducted.

Note:
1. Presentation title: Survival and Patterns of Relapse in Patients With Oral Tongue Cancer. Abstract O54