Results of radical treatment of cancer of the anterior two thirds of the tongue

Abstract

Fifty‐six patients with cancer of the anterior two thirds of the tongue have been treated during the period from January 1963 to October 1970. The therapeutic policy consists in radiotherapy of the primary tumor and radical neck dissection when the lymph nodes are palpable. When the primary tumor is in T1, T2, and T3 (with diameter less than 3 cm), interstitial radiotherapy with a special technique for afterloading with radioactive wires had been performed. In the cases with advanced T3 a combination of external beam and interstitial radiotherapy has been applied. The 3‐year survival is 67% (89% for T2 and 60% for T3). The 5‐year survival is 48% (71% for T2 and 36% for T3). Local recurrences, all of which appeared only during the first year after treatment, comprised 9%. Copyright © 1972 American Cancer Society