IMRT in oral cavity cancer
2007

IMRT in Oral Cavity Cancer

Sample size: 58 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Gabriela Studer, Roger A. Zwahlen, Klaus W. Graetz, Bernard J. Davis, Christoph Glanzmann

Primary Institution: University Hospital Zurich

Hypothesis

The aim of this work was to assess disease outcome in oral cavity cancer following IMRT.

Conclusion

Postoperative IMRT of oral cavity cancer resulted in the highest local control rate of the assessed treatment subgroups.

Supporting Evidence

  • 40 of the 58 OCC patients (69%) presented with locally advanced T3/4 or recurred lesions.
  • Doses between 60 and 70 Gy were applied, combined with simultaneous cisplatin based chemotherapy in 78%.
  • OCC patients treated with postoperative IMRT showed the highest local control (LC) rate of all assessed treatment sequence subgroups (92% LC at 2 years).
  • T1 stage resulted in an expectedly significantly higher LC rate (95%, n = 19, p < 0.05) than T2-4 and recurred stages (LC ~50–60%, n = 102).
  • Analyses according to the diagnosis revealed significantly lower LC in OCC following definitive IMRT than that in pharyngeal tumors treated with definitive IMRT in the same time period (43% vs 82% at 2 years, p < 0.0001).

Takeaway

This study looked at how well a special type of radiation therapy called IMRT works for patients with mouth cancer. It found that patients who had surgery first and then IMRT had the best results.

Methodology

The study analyzed 58 consecutively irradiated oral cavity cancer patients treated with IMRT and compared their outcomes with historic cohorts treated with other methods.

Potential Biases

Different treatment intervals and follow-up periods of the historic controls may influence the outcome.

Limitations

The study has limitations including small sample sizes and retrospective design.

Participant Demographics

Approximately half the patients had floor of the mouth carcinoma, one third had tongue/floor of the mouth cancer, and 10% had tumors of the gingival/mandible.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.0001

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1748-717X-2-16

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