Surgery and postoperative radiotherapy a valid treatment for advanced oropharyngeal carcinoma

Since 1992 we have prospectively included all head and neck cancer patients in our health region in a departmental based register. Our hospital takes care of all head and neck cancer patients in our health region consisting of approximately 1 million people. In 1997, we evaluated the results of the treatment of oropharyngeal cancer in the 1992–1997 period. On the basis of this evaluation, we changed our treatment policy for tonsillar and base of tongue carcinoma. We first changed the treatment for the lesions with worst prognosis, i.e., those with T3–T4 carcinomas, from radiotherapy only, to radical surgery and postoperative radiotherapy. We have since that time increasingly also operated the smaller oropharyngeal carcinomas. The 2 years’ overall survival and disease-specific survival for all patients diagnosed in the 1992–1997 period was 56 and 63%, respectively. The results from a similar group of patients in the 6 years’ period from 2000 to 2005, after the change in treatment, have increased to 83 and 88%. When we looked at the subgroup of patients in the 2000–2005 period treated with surgery and postoperative radiotherapy, 45 out of 69 patients (65%) presenting with an oropharyngeal cancer were fit for operation. With radical surgery and postoperative radiation therapy, the 2 years overall survival is now 91%. The 2-year disease-specific survival is 96% and the locoregional control is 98%. This is a marked improvement as compared to radiotherapy alone and definitely competitive with modern radiochemotherapy

Contemporary management of cancer of the oral cavity

Oral cancer represents a common entity comprising a third of all head and neck malignant tumors. The options for curative treatment of oral cavity cancer have not changed significantly in the last three decades; however, the work up, the approach to surveillance, and the options for reconstruction have evolved significantly. Because of the profound functional and cosmetic importance of the oral cavity, management of oral cavity cancers requires a thorough understanding of disease progression, approaches to management and options for reconstruction. The purpose of this review is to discuss the most current management options for oral cavity cancers

Chemotherapy regimens and treatment protocols for laryngeal cancer.

Item does not contain fulltextIMPORTANCE OF THE FIELD: Laryngeal cancer has been the model of curative-intent organ-preserving therapies in clinical oncology. Although the optimal care of patients with laryngeal cancer is truly multidisciplinary, with progressive advances in surgical, radiation, and medical oncology, the development of effective systemic therapies has been a major component of the therapeutic arsenal against laryngeal cancer. AREAS COVERED IN THIS REVIEW: This review will discuss the rapidly evolving roles of chemotherapy in the management of locally advanced and metastatic laryngeal cancer. WHAT THE READER WILL GAIN: The reader will gain a historical perspective on this evolution in treatment and will appreciate current treatment challenges and promising future directions in optimizing therapeutic efficacy in functional larynx preservation and in patient survival. TAKE HOME MESSAGE: The treatment of most patients with laryngeal cancer with systemic therapy represents an opportunity to positively impact functional outcomes with an anatomically and functionally preserved larynx. Future challenges include identification of novel therapies and optimizing therapy protocols for individualized patient care.1 juni 201