Three cases of carcinoma of the base of the tongue are reported and the selection of treatment is discussed.
1. A 63-year-old woman, presented with swelling of the right side of the neck. Cancer of the base of the tongue was found. UICC TNM Classification was T2N2aMO. Radiation was delivered to the lesion and the neck in a dose of 60Gy. The tumor disappeared promptly.
2. A 48-year-old man complained of bloody sputum from a swelling of the tongue base. Excisional biospy was done, and the pathological diagnosis was squamous cell carcinoma. The clinical classification was T2N0M0. The patient underwent radiotherapy in a dose of 56Gy delivered to the local region, and the tumor disappeared.
3. A 61-year-old man complained of swelling of the right side of his neck. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a mass deep in the base of the tongue. The clinical classification was T2N3M0. The cancer disappeared soon after radiation treatment.
These 3 patients have shown no evidence of local recurrence or regional metastasis during follow-up periods ranging from 2 years and 5 months to 4 years and 5 months.
Our experience and our review of the literature suggest that surgical treatment may result in severe impairment of swallowing and speech, while radiotherapy may preserve function but may not effectively control advanced disease. Therefore, we conclude that radiation treatment is more effective than surgical treatment in the local control of T1 and T2 cancers of the base of the tongue.
