Abstract
Spindle cell carcinoma (SpCC) is a subtype of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and has a poor prognosis. We report a case of SpCC of the tongue with multiple ipsilateral neck recurrence and contralateral lymph node metastasis successfully treated by radiotherapy followed by S-1 administration. A 72-year-old woman consulted our center in August 2010 because of a mass in the right margin of the tongue. The mass was an exophytic granulomatous tumor measuring 25×20×17mm. She had received a partial glossectomy for SCC (T1N0M0) of the right side of the tongue in 1999. Based on the clinical diagnosis of recurrence of SCC (rT2N0M0), a partial glossectomy was done in October 2010. Histopathological examinations revealed SpCC. One month after surgery, radical neck dissection was done for ipsilateral metastasis. Three months after the second procedure, she had multiple ipsilateral neck recurrence involving the retropharyngeal lymph nodes, with contralateral lymph-node metastasis. Because radical surgery was considered extremely difficult, the patient underwent palliative radiotherapy (total 36 Gy). After the radiotherapy, S-1 was administered. After 1 course of treatment, the lesion of the cervical region markedly shrank. Currently, she has been receiving S-1 and remains free of disease as of 44 months after surgery.
