Treatment of head and neck cancer with bone or cartilage invasion by surgery and postoperative radiotherapy

Purpose: The study goal was to review our experience with patients with bone or cartilage invasion (BCI) by adjacent head and neck cancer (HNC) who were treated with curative surgery and postoperative radiotherapy (SPR). Patients and Methods: Thirty-eight individuals treated with SPR for HNC with BCI were identified after review of the radiation oncology charts and pathology reports for the period 1981 through 2000. Results: The thyroid cartilage and mandible were predominantly invaded by HNC. The follow-up time for the surviving patients was 65.5 months (range, 17 to 106 months). The local, regional, and distant relapse rates were 5%, 11%, and 13%, respectively. The overall disease-free survival rates at 3 and 5 years were 54% and 41%, respectively. Conclusion: Although these results were not obtained from a randomized trial, the present observations may be beneficial in clinical decision making concerning patients with HNC and contiguous invasion of bone or cartilage. (C) 2004 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.