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Cancer of the tonsil: Improved survival with combination therapy
Author(s) -
Dasmahapatra Kumar S.,
MohitTabatabai Mirseyed Ali,
Rush Benjamin F.,
Hill George J.,
Feuerman Martin,
Ohanian Maimu
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(19860201)57:3<451::aid-cncr2820570308>3.0.co;2-l
Subject(s) - medicine , stage (stratigraphy) , tonsil , radiation therapy , bleomycin , survival rate , gastroenterology , methotrexate , chemotherapy , cisplatin , surgery , cancer , oncology , paleontology , biology
One hundred seventy‐four cases of squamous cell cancer of the tonsil (SCCT) were reviewed. Radiation therapy (RT) alone was used in 81 patients, surgery alone (S) in 19 patients, preoperative RT + S in 49 patients, and chemotherapy ([C] methotrexate plus bleomycin plus cisplatin) in 25 patients. The 5‐year survival was 83% in Stage I (n = 21), 72% in Stage II (n = 19), 23% in Stage III (n = 34), and 15% in Stage IV (n = 100). RT and S were equally effective in Stages I and II. In Stage III, the 5‐year survival for RT + S was 31% versus 11% for RT alone; and in Stage IV, the respective 3‐ and 5‐year survivals for RT + S were 24% and 15% versus 6% and 0%, respectively, for RT alone. There was an 84% response rate to C, and the patients who completed C + RT + S had 3‐ and 5‐year survival rates of 41.7% and 32%, respectively. Our results indicate that RT + S appears to offer better survival in Stage III and IV SCCT. The high response rate in early survival data seen with C + RT + S suggests a promising role for this approach.