Summary
The efficacy of elective radiotherapy in N0 cancer of the oropharynx, hypopharynx and supraglottic larynx was assessed retrospectively in a large series of head and neck cancer patients treated at the Institut Curie between 1958 and 1976. Despite a significant incidence of false-negative cases accompanied by extracapsular tumor spread, radiation tissue doses of 4500–5500 cGy were highly successful in preventing nodal disease in clinically negative necks. Isolated node failure occurred in only 2% of 611 cases of oropharyngeal and pharyngolaryngeal cancer from a total group of 1646 patients and 2% of 237 N0 cases of supraglottic vestibular cancer taken from a series of 340 patients. The impact of neck status on survival and disease-free survival is discussed. Present findings show that elective irradiation of the neck is easily integrated into the radiation management of primary pharyngeal and supraglottic laryngeal cancers and results in no additional morbidity to patients so treated.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bataini JP (1977) Techniques de radiothérapie des métastases cervicales Nuovo Arch Ital Otol 5:377–388
Bataini JP, Brunin F (1989) Early and moderately advanced cancers of supraglottic larynx and their management by radiotherapy. In: Robert Kagan A, Miles J (eds) Head and neck oncology clinical management. Pergamon Press, New York, pp 69–82
Bataini JP, Ennuyer A, Poncet P, Ghossein NA (1974) Treatment of supraglottic cancer by radical high dose radiotherpay. Cancer 33:1253–1262
Bataini JP, Bernier J, Brugère J, Jaulerry C, Brunin F, Picco C (1982) Approche radiothérapique des adénopathies cervicales secondaires aux cancers épidermoïdes du larynx et du pharynx. In: Pinel J, Leroux-Robert J (eds) Addnopathies cervicales malignes. Masson, Paris, pp 129–135
Bataini JP, Bernier J, Brugère J, Jaulerry C, Brunin F, Picco C (1985) Natural history of neck disease in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of oropharynx and pharyngolarynx. Radiother Oncol 3:245–255
Bataini JP, Bernier J, Jaulerry C, Brunin F, Pontvert D (1990) Impact of cervical disease and its definitive radiotherapeutic management on survival. Experience in 2013 patients with squamous cell carcinomas of the oropharynx and pharyngolarynx. Laryngoscope 100:716–723
Bernier J, Bataini JP (1986) Regional outcome in oropharyngeal and pharyngolaryngeal cancer treated with high dose per fraction radiotherapy. Analysis of neck disease response in 1646 cases. Radiother Oncol 6:87–103
Bocca E, Pignataro O, Oldini C (1983) Supraglottic laryngectomy: 30 years of experience. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 92:14–18
Brugère J, Bataini JP, Zajdela A, Bernier J (1978) Etude clinique et cytologique de l'envahissement ganglionnaire cervical daps les cancers du sinus piriforme. In: Veronesi V, Bocca E, Molinari R, Emanuelli (eds) I tumori della testa e del collo. Casa editrice Ambrosiana, Milan, pp 353–357
Coutard H (1932) Roentgentherapy of epitheliomas of the tonsillar region, hypopharynx and larynx from 1920 to 1926. Am J Roentgenol 28:313–331
Ennuyer A, Bataini JP (1963) A propos de la télécobalthérapie dans le traitement des épithéliomas de l'oropharynx et de l'hypopharynx. Ann Radiol 6:403–419
Fletcher GH (1972) Elective irradiation of subclinical disease in cancers of the head and neck. Cancer 29:1450–1454
Friedman M, Magee MF, Pacella BL, Storigh TL, Dew LL, Toricemi DM (1990) Rationale for elective neck disection in 1990. Laryngoscope 100:54–59
Ghossein NA, Bataini JP (1984) The role of radiotherapy in the treatment of neck metastases from head and neck cancer. In: Wolf GT (ed) Head and neck oncology. Martinus Nijhoff, Boston, pp 169–197
Harwood AR, Beale FA, Cummings BJ, Keane TS, Payne DG, Rider WD, Racolinson E, Elhakim T (1982) Supraglottic laryngeal cancer and analysis of dose-time volume factors in 410 patients. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 9:311–319
Leroux-Robert J, Ennuyer A (1952) Cancer du sinus piriforme. Arnettte, Paris, p 70
O'Brien CJ, Smith JW, Soong SJ, Urist MM, Maddox WA (1986) Neck dissection with and without radiotherapy: prognostic factors, pattern of recurrence and survival. Am J Surg 152:456–463
Pignataro O (1982) Indications, limites, avantages et résultats de l'évidement fonctionnel du cou. In: Pinel J, Leroux-Robert J (eds) Addnopathies cervicales malignes. Masson, Paris, pp 90–93
Richard JM, Sancho-Garnier H, Micheau C, Saravane D, Cachin Y (1987) Prognostic factors in cervical lymph node metastases, in upper respiratory and digestive tract carcinomas: study of 1713 cases during a 15-year period. Laryngoscope 97:97–101
Vanderbrook C, Sancho-Garnier H, Chassagne D, Saravane D, Cachin Y, Micheau C (1980) Elective versus therapeutic radical neck dissection in epidermoid carcinoma of the oral cavity. Results of a randomized clinical trial. Cancer 46:386–390
Wall TS, Peter LS, Brown BW, Oswald MS, Milas L (1985) Relationship betwen lymph nodal status and primary tumor control probability in tumors of supraglottic larynx. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 11:1895–1902
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bataini, J.P. Radiotherapy in N0 head and neck cancer patients. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 250, 442–445 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00181086
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00181086