Abstract
We report a case with carcinoma of the upper gingiva and N3 treated successfully with retrograde superselective intra-arterial chemoradiotherapy combined with hyperthermia.
A 39-year-old male with swelling of the left cervical region was referred to our department. The mass was 65 × 55 mm. The tumor was diagnosed as squamous cell carcinoma of the upper gingiva and cervical lymph node metastasis (T2N3M0) by radiological and pathological diagnosis. The patient underwent chemoradiotherapy using superselective intra-arterial infusion via the superficial temporal artery and occipital artery combined with hyperthermia. The total dose of cisplatin was 150 mg/m2, and that of docetaxel was 60 mg/m2. External irradiation was performed five times a week at 2 Gy per fraction, for a total of 60 Gy. Hyperthermia was performed 5 times for 6 weeks.
Pathological complete response was achieved in the primary site 1 month after the completion of the treatment. However, the clinical effect of the lymph node was partial response. Therefore, the patient underwent bilateral neck dissections and soft tissue reconstruction. The pathological diagnosis of the resected lymph node was complete response. The patient has been free of disease for 20 months. This method may be an effective treatment for cervical lymph node metastasis, N3.
