Backgrounds: We aimed to clarify the outcomes of postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) after salvage neck dissection for cervical lymph node (LN) recurrence in oral cavity cancer.
Methods: We retrospectively evaluated overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), recurrence patterns, and adverse events of 51 patients with high-risk features receiving PORT after salvage neck dissection between 2009 and 2019.
Results: After a median follow-up of 7.4 years from PORT initiation, the 7-year OS and RFS rates were 66.3% (95% CI: 54.0-81.3) and 54.6% (95% CI: 42.1-70.9), respectively. Age <70 years and isolated LN recurrence were significantly associated with longer OS and RFS. Among the 22 patients who experienced recurrence, 14 experienced recurrence within the radiation field. PORT-related grade 3 acute mucositis (35%) and late adverse events (osteoradionecrosis [4%] and laryngeal stenosis [2%]) were observed.
Conclusions: PORT after salvage neck dissection for cervical LN recurrence achieved good survival with acceptable toxicity.
Keywords: cervical lymph node recurrence; long-term outcomes; oral cavity cancer; postoperative radiotherapy; salvage neck dissection.
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