Abstract
As a preliminary study for neo-adjuvant chemotherapy in tongue cancer, pre-surgical treatment was analized in 156 tongue cancer patients treated at Gunma Cancer Center from 1973 to 1985. Among the 156 patients, pre-surgical treatment was performed in 114 patients (114/156, 71.3%). 104 of them were presurgically irradiated and pre-surgical chemotherapy was performed in only 10 patients. In 11 patients of pre-surgical irradiation, the dose was less than 10 Gy, 20 Gy to 40 Gy in 44 patient, and more than 40 Gy in 49 patients. In patients of pre-surgical chemotherapy, combined chemotherapy was performed in only two cases and result of these cases showed CR. CDDP, MTX and Peplomycin were used for this combined chemotherapy. Comparing pre-surgical irradiation and pre-surgical chemotherapy, it is clear that both have advantages and disadvantages. In general, the advantage of pre-surgical irradiation is that the treatment time is shorter than pre-surgical chemotherapy and side effects were milder than pre-surgical chemotherapy. Advantage of pre-surgical chemotherapy, on the other hand, is its usefulness in the prevention of distant metastasis. It is more effective than pre-surgical irradiation because the patient is treated with full doses of chemotherapeutic agents in certain cases.
