Treatment of Cancer of the Tongue

Abstract

We treated 41 patients suffering from cancer of the tongue between October 1976 and December 1990. T1 cases were operated on by use of a CO2 laser. T2 cases with a relatively smaller lesion were irradiated and were followed by laser excision of the residual tumor. Advanced cases were treated with preoperative radiation and extensive removal of the primary lesion. The tongue was reconstructed with the aid of a myocutaneous flap. Neck dissection was performed regardless of N classification when the primary lesion was surgically treated. The five-year cumulative survival rate for all cases was 76.4%. Thirteen T1 cases treated with laser excision did not have any local recurrence except for one case, while four of seven T2 cases treated with radiation and laser excision of the residual tumor recurred in the primary lesion. Only two of the 13 cases treated with preoperative radiation and extensive removal of the primary lesion developed recurrence. The five-year cumulative survival rate of this group was 84.6%. Nine of the 41 cases died; four of the nine died of metastases to the neck, one died of distant metastases to the lungs, another died of local recurrence and the other three died of exacerbation of the disease in spite of the vigorous treatments including radiation and chemotherapy. © 1992, The Society of Practical Otolaryngology. All rights reserved.