La radiotherapie dans les cancers des voies aero-digestives superieures

ABSTRACT

Head and neck cancers are more common, they represent the 2nd place after female pelvic cancers in anti-cancer centers recruiting. Vital organs are always damaged, and surgery may be often mutilate. Radiation therapy was traditionally combined with surgery post operatively to eradicate residual disease. But, development of radiotherapy techniques, and recent knowledges of radiobiology, give a new place of this treatment Radiation alone can eradicate small lesions in nasopharynx, oral cavity, larynx Pre operative radiotherapy can convert inoperable lesions in operable ones. Post operative irradiation can eradicate microscopic disease that a radical surgical procedure cannot remove. Complications may be avoidable by a rigourous technique of radiation