Postoperative IMRT in Head and Neck Cancer
Author Information
Author(s): Gabriela Studer, Katrin Furrer, Bernard J Davis, Sandro S Stoeckli, Roger A Zwahlen, Urs M Luetolf, Christoph Glanzmann
Primary Institution: University Hospital Zurich
Hypothesis
Does postoperative intensity modulated radiation therapy (pIMRT) improve loco-regional disease control in head and neck cancer patients compared to conventional radiation therapy?
Conclusion
Surgery followed by postoperative IMRT in patients with substantial risk for recurrence resulted in high loco-regional tumor control rates compared with large prospective 3DCRT trials.
Supporting Evidence
- 2-year local control rate was 95%, nodal control rate was 91%, and distant control rate was 96%.
- 90% disease-free survival and 83% overall survival were observed in the study cohort.
- All loco-regional failures occurred in the high-risk subgroup of patients.
Takeaway
This study shows that using a special type of radiation therapy after surgery helps keep cancer from coming back in patients with head and neck cancer.
Methodology
71 patients with head and neck cancer were treated with postoperative IMRT and their outcomes were compared to historical data from conventional radiation therapy.
Limitations
The follow-up time was relatively short, and the small number of events limited further subgroup analysis.
Participant Demographics
61 males and 10 females, with a mean age of 59 years.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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