Abstract
Purpose: To report treatment results of floor of mouth cancer with definitive radiotherapy.
Materials and Methods: Sixty-five patients with newly diagnosed floor of mouth cancer received definitive (chemo-) radiotherapy at the department of Radiation Oncology at Aichi Cancer Center. Thirty-five patients were treated with only external irradiation, 28 patients with the combination of external irradiation and brachytherapy, and 2 patients with only brachytherapy. Twenty-nine patients received chemotherapy. Systemic chemotherapy was done for 22 patients with advanced disease (both locally-advanced and neck lymph node metastases), and intra-arterial chemotherapy for 7 patients with locally advanced disease.
Results: Five-year overall survival rate (OS) was 59% and 5-year progression free survival rate was 49%. Five-year OS for stage I + II was 69% and that for stage III + IV was 51%. We found 23 recurrences, which were divided into 10 in floor of mouth, 7 in neck lymph nodes, 2 in both, and 4 in distant areas. Late complications were found in 30 patients. Thirteen patients had developed mandibular osteomyelitis, 7 of which required surgical intervention. Soft tissue necrosis was found in 12 patients, and only one received surgery. Double cancers were found in 25 patients. There were 7 oral cancers and 6 esophageal cancers.
