Background: Treatment of base of tongue (BOT) squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) has traditionally been associated with poor prognosis and significant morbidity. We report a program consisting of concurrent chemoradiation followed by brachytherapy for these patients.
Methods: We reviewed all patients in our institution with previously untreated BOT SCC (1996-2004) who received this treatment program.
Results: In 88 patients (median age, 60.2 years; 37 T1/T2; 51 T3/T4), cervical lymph node metastases were present in 71 patients (80.7%). Six patients had residual/subsequent cervical metastases requiring 7 neck dissections. Local recurrence occurred in 16 patients (18.2%) and distant metastases occurred in 9 patients (10.2%). Median follow-up time was 3.1 years (range, 0.5-7.8 years). Three-year overall survival was 80.9% (95% CI: 69.6% to 88.3%). Locoregional control rate was 79.9% and disease-specific survival was 69.5% at 3 years.
Conclusions: Concurrent chemoradiotherapy followed with brachytherapy is a safe and effective method of treatment of SCC of the BOT.
(c) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2009.