Multidisciplinary management of head and neck sarcomas

✍ Scribed by R. James Colville; Fraser Charlton; Charles G. Kelly; Jonathan J. Nicoll; Neil R. McLean

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2005
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 174 KB
• Volume: 27
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1043-3074
• DOI: 10.1002/hed.20232

✦ Synopsis

Background:

Head and neck sarcomas are extremely rare. this article reviews the management and outcomes in a multidisciplinary clinic.

Methods:

The records of 41 male and 19 female patients (mean age, 50 years) were reviewed. forty percent underwent surgical resection only, 35% underwent surgery and adjuvant therapy, and 25% underwent radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy without surgery. seventy-one percent had complete histologic clearance.

Results:

The mean follow-up was 3 years and 10 months, with an overall 5-year survival rate of 60%. completeness of surgical excision was highly significant in determining 5-year local control (p < .025), and the addition of adjuvant radiotherapy had a major effect on local control, but only if complete surgical clearance had been achieved (p < .025). as expected, patients with more aggressive tumors had a significantly poorer overall prognosis, and achieving local control led to an enhanced 5-year survival (p < .025).

Conclusion:

These tumors are best managed in multidisciplinary clinics, and the mainstay of treatment is wide local excision and planned postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy.