Background: This study was conducted to determine long term survival rates and the pattern of failure in patients with carcinoma of the oral cavity treated with induction chemotherapy or preoperative radiotherapy followed by surgery.
Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed of 141 eligible patients with Stage II-IV International Union Against Cancer (UICC) staging system squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity at the study department between 1985 and 1994. These patients received one of three treatments: surgery with or without peplomycin chemotherapy (Group A; n = 49); preoperative radiotherapy with or without concomitant peplomycin chemotherapy followed by surgery (Group B; n = 59); and induction chemotherapy followed by surgery (Group C; n = 33). Induction chemotherapy was comprised of two cycles of cisplatin, vincristine, peplomycin, with or without mitomycin C.
Results: When all 141 patients were analyzed, there was no significant difference in overall survival or disease free survival. However, a statistically significant increase in the incidence of neck recurrence in Group C was observed compared with Group A (P = 0.002). Within 79 patients with N0 disease, a statistically significant disadvantage was detected for Group C in terms of disease free survival compared with Group A (P = 0.038). In patients with Stage II disease (50 patients), there was a significant difference in disease free survival, with Group C inferior to both Group A (P = 0.04) and Group B (P = 0.066).
Conclusions: Induction chemotherapy was associated with a significant increase in regional failure for patients with carcinoma of the oral cavity with N0 disease and those with Stage II disease.