Predicting factors for distant failure in head and neck cancer-impact of grade

ABSTRACT

This retrospective study was performed on 157 patients treated by radiotherapy between 1993-1998 years. The frequency of distant metastases and the influence of different variables as tumor stage, nodal stage, tumor grade and anatomic site in addition to p53 on the appearance of distant metastases were evaluated. The study showed that patients with high grade squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck presented with advanced tumor stage combined with advanced nodal stage, arising mainly from nasopharynx, are at a high risk of developing distant failure and should be candidates for extensive evaluation by recent imaging studies as well as pathological markers. This subset of patients should be considered for combined modality treatment