Abstract
Twenty-seven cases of tongue cancer of stage I or II among highly invasive oral cancer were retrospectively analysed according to each modality. The modality for tongue cancer consisted of excisional biopsy (therapy A), tumor excision with preoperative chemotherapy (therapy B), and therapy B with elective neck dissection (therapy C) . The treatment results according to the modality were as follows:
1. Therapy A was performed in eight patients, consisting of three of T1 + 4C, three of T1 + 4D, one of T2 + 4C, and one of T2 + 4D. None of them had recurrent disease at the primary site. Delayed ipsilateral cervical lymph node metastasis was found in four patients. Absolute survival rate for these eight patients consisting of three of Dc and five of Ao, was 63%.
2. Therapy B was performed in nine patients, consisting of three of T1 + 4C, three of T1 + 4D, one of T2 + 4C, and two of T2 + 4D. One patient with T2 + 4C had recurrent disease at the primary site with cervical lymph node metastasis. Delayed ipsilateral cervical lymph node metastasis was found in seven patients without evidence of recurrent local disease. Absolute survival rate for these nine patients, consisting of three of Dc, two of Do, and four of Ao, was 44%.
3. Therapy C was performed in 10 patients, consisting of two of T1 + 4C, one of T1 + 4D, theree of T2 + 4C, and four of T2 + 4D. Occult cervical metastasis was pathologically confirmed in two patients. Four patients had recurrent disease at the primary site and had recurrent disease of the neck except for one patient. Three patients had recurrent disease of the neck without evidence of recurrent local disease. Absolute survival rate for these 10 patients was 40%, consisting of six of Dc and four of Ao.
4. Absolute survival rate and 5-year cumulative survival rate for all patients were 48% and 52% respectively.
