Abstract
BackgroundTreatment of tonsil cancer, a subset of oropahryngeal cancer, varies between surgery and radiotherapy. Well-designed studies in tonsil cancer have been rare and it is still controversial which treatment is optimal. This study aimed to assess the outcome and failure patterns in tonsil cancer patients treated with either approaches.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed medical records of 586 patients with tonsil cancer, treated between 1998 and 2010 at 16 hospitals in Korea. Two hundred and one patients received radiotherapy and chemotherapy (CRT), while 385 patients received surgery followed by radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy (SRT). Compared with the SRT group, patients receiving CRT were older, with more advanced T stage and received higher radiotherapy dose given by intensity modulation techniques. Overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRRFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and clinicopathologic factors were analyzed.ResultsAt follow-up, the 5-year OS, DFS, LRRFS and DMFS rates in the CRT group were 82, 78, 89, and 94%, respectively, and in the SRT group were 81, 73, 87, and 89%, respectively. Old age, current smoking, poor performance status, advanced T stage, nodal involvement, and induction chemotherapy were associated with poor OS. Induction chemotherapy had a negative prognostic impact on OS in both treatment groups (p = 0.001 and p = 0.033 in the CRT and SRT groups, respectively).ConclusionsIn our multicenter, retrospective study of tonsil cancer patients, the combined use of radiotherapy and chemotherapy resulted in comparable oncologic outcome to surgery followed by postoperative radiotherapy, despite higher-risk patients having been treated with the definitive radiotherapy. Induction chemotherapy approaches combined with either surgery or definitive radiotherapy were associated with unfavorable outcomes.
Highlights
Treatment of tonsil cancer, a subset of oropahryngeal cancer, varies between surgery and radiotherapy
We analyzed data from 586 patients who were treated with definitive radiotherapy with chemotherapy (CRT; 201 patients) or surgery followed by radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy (SRT; 385 patients)
Computed tomography (CT) scans of the neck were performed at diagnosis in 91% of individuals; positron emission tomography (PET) or CT scans were taken in 69% of patients, while magnetic resonance imaging of the oropharynx and neck was performed in 48%
Summary
A subset of oropahryngeal cancer, varies between surgery and radiotherapy. Well-designed studies in tonsil cancer have been rare and it is still controversial which treatment is optimal. This study aimed to assess the outcome and failure patterns in tonsil cancer patients treated with either approaches. The tonsils, a subsite of the oropharynx, are the most common site of oropharyngeal neoplasm [1]. The incidence of tonsil cancer is increasing [2, 3]. Squamous cell carcinoma is most commonly observed in tonsil cancer. Management of tonsil cancer is limited to either surgery or radiotherapy, yet there is a scarcity of randomized prospective trials comparing these treatment options. Current guidelines recommend both strategies based on such findings [8]
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