A case of lateral retropharyngeal node metastasis from carcinoma of the tongue:

complete response following radiotherapy plus cetuximab

Abstract

Metastasis to the lateral retropharyngeal lymph node, the so-called Rouviere lymph node （RLN）, is relatively common in patients with carcinoma of the nasopharynx, but is rare in patients with oral cavity carcinomas, especially of the tongue. We describe a case of RLN metastasis from a tongue carcinoma, successfully treated with radiotherapy plus cetuximab （bioradiotherapy: BRT）.
A 36-year-old woman visited our hospital with complaints of headache, nasal obstruction, and dysphagia. She had undergone radiotherapy and surgery for carcinoma of the tongue in a general hospital, and was then referred for chemotherapy and palliative therapy because of RLN metastasis.
However, the metastatic lesion progressed despite combination chemotherapy with cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, and docetaxel （TPF）. BRT showed a survival benefit compared with radiotherapy alone for locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. BRT was therefore performed, with complete response. There was no recurrence after BRT during a 4-year follow-up period.