Background: The purpose of this study was to analyze and compare ipsilateral and bilateral adjuvant radiotherapy in patients with cancer of unknown primary (CUP) of the head and neck.
Methods: Overall survival, recurrence-free survival, and radiation-induced side effects were assessed in 76 patients with CUP who underwent ipsilateral (n = 29) or bilateral (n = 47) radiotherapy.
Results: At a median follow-up of 41 months, the 5-year overall survival and recurrence-free rate were 67.9% and 71.5%, respectively. No statistically significant difference between ipsilateral and bilateral radiotherapy could be found regarding 5-year overall survival, recurrence-free survival, occurrence of a primary tumor, and distant metastasis. The analysis of radiation-induced acute side effects showed a significant benefit of ipsilateral radiotherapy.
Conclusion: As the main parameters of the study regarding the outcome and radiation-induced side effects showed no advantages of bilateral radiotherapy, the strategy of ipsilateral radiotherapy can be recommended for the adjuvant treatment of CUP patients.
Keywords: carcinoma of unknown primary; cervival lymph node metastases; ipsilateral vs bilateral radiotherapy; radiotherapy strategies; treatment outcome.
© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.