2011 Volume 20 Issue 3 Pages 303-307
Liver cirrhosis is considered as a risk factor for surgery as liver cirrhosis is a severe condition which can lead to multiple organ failure. Hence management of head and neck cancer in patients with liver cirrhosis is difficult. In the present study, the Child-Pugh classification was employed as the basis for criteria informing the choice of treatment for head and neck cancer patients presenting liver cirrhosis.
From 1999 to 2009, 20 patients (19 male, 1 female) with liver cirrhosis with 25 sessions of treatment for head and neck cancer were treated at the Nippon Medical School Hospital. The mean and standard deviation of age was 61.6 and 9.4 yrs.
In 2 out of 3 cases evaluated as Child-Pugh Class C cirrhosis, radiotherapy could not be accomplished. In cases with Child-Pugh Class B cirrhosis, radiotherapy could be accomplished although management of the advanced cancer was limited. Child-Pugh Class A cirrhosis cases enabled choose from various modalities of treatment. However, a high incidence of postoperative complications suggests that to achieve a superior surgical outcome, preoperative optimization for the evaluation and treatment of head and neck cancer in patients with liver cirrhosis is necessary.
