Head and neck cancer, treatment, evolution and post therapeutic survival - Part 2: a decade's results 1993-2002.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: In the second part of an analysis of a 10-year period of treating oral cancer patients, the focus was the efficiency of treatment, recurrence rates and survival. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From 1485 patients with oral and maxillofacial malignant tumours, 1072 cases could be evaluated. The following data were analyzed statistically: patients' charts and medical records including the follow-up reports. RESULTS: From all patients studied, 811 underwent surgical treatment alone, the mean recurrence rate was 23%. The recurrence rate after surgery plus radiotherapy was 38%; after surgical treatment alone it was 23%; the survival rate at 3 and 5 years post-therapeutically was 49% and 31%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The first choice therapy for carcinomas is surgical. The recurrence rate increased with lymph node involvement and tumour size.

Head and neck cancer, epidemiology and histological aspects - Part 1: a decade's results 1993-2002.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Studies prior to 1990 showed an incidence of 5% for oral and maxillofacial cancer in Romania. In this paper (Part 1) an evaluation of malignant tumour cases, covering a 10-year period is made regarding histological forms, the relationships of malignant tumours to patients' geographic origin, environment, age, gender of patients and lymph node involvement. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From 1485 patients with malignant oral and maxillofacial tumours, 1072 cases fulfilled the criteria for inclusion in this study. The following data were examined: patients' charts and medical records as well as pathology reports. RESULTS: From 16,315 patients admitted to this hospital between 1993 and 2002, 9% presented with primary ('de novo') malignant tumours; 2/3 were male patients; average age at presentation was 61 years for males and 59 years for females; 47% presented with stage IV tumours; out of the 'de novo' tumours, 93% were carcinomas and 4% sarcomas; 56% of patients had positive lymph nodes at presentation. CONCLUSIONS: The number of head and neck cancer cases increased in the last 15 years; almost half of the patients presented with tumours in stage IV.