A squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue dorsum: Treatment with superselective intra-arterial infusion via bilateral superficial temporal arteries and daily concurrent radiotherapy

Abstract

Most tongue carcinomata arise on the lateral border and sublingual surface; carcinoma of the tongue dorsum is exceedingly rare. We report a case of squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue dorsum treated with superselective intra-arterial infusion via bilateral superficial temporal arteries and daily concurrent radiotherapy.
An 80-year-old man with a mass on the left tongue dorsum was referred to our department. The mass was peduncled; the tumor size including the anterior induration of the tongue dorsum was 49 × 30 × 12 mm. After a tumor biopsy, the lesion was diagnosed as squamous cell carcinoma. No evidence of cervical lymph node metastasis was present. Retrograde superselective intra-arterial chemoradiotherapy was planned to avoid oral dysfunction after reconstructive surgery for advanced tongue carcinoma. Superselective intra-arterial chemotherapy using docetaxel (10 mg/m²/week, total 96 mg/body) and cisplatin (5 mg/m²/day, total 240 mg/body) via the bilateral superficial temporal arteries combined with daily concurrent radiotherapy (2 Gy/day, total 60 Gy) was performed for six weeks. The patient has been free of recurrence and metastasis for 25 months.