Results of various treatment modalities in 72 patients with ameloblastoma of mandible and 20 patients with ameloblastoma of maxilla are analyzed. Controversial methods of treatment are discussed to arrive at a semblance of rational management. It was found that: 1. Curettage was followed by local recurrence in 90% of mandibular and all maxillary ameloblastomas; 2. Subsequent resection could control 80% of mandibular but only a fraction of maxillary recurrences; 3. Marginal resection, in a few selected cases, might control primary cases of mandibular ameloblastoma but is not a useful procedure for recurrent mandibular ameloblastoma; 4. External radiation therapy was ineffective in controlling ameloblastoma but did not seem to adversely affect prognosis even after subsequent resection; and 5. Distant metastases, although rare, occurred in 7 patients.

This study reviews the history, indications, and operative technique for median mandibulotomy with paralingual extension (mandibular "swing"). A 21-year experience is presented, during which this operative approach was used in 49 patients with tongue cancer and 16 others with oropharyngeal lesions. Mandibular "swing" appears to offer more versatility and fewer problems than either median labiomandibular glossotomy or lateral mandibulotomy. Good local control can be anticipated in properly selected patients because the tumor exposure is comparable to that achieved in operations involving jaw resection.

Forty patients with advanced, resectable squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx, oropharynx, or hypopharynx whose surgery would have required total laryngectomy (TL), were treated with one to three cycles of cisplatin-based chemotherapy before local therapy with the goal of larynx preservation. Clinical complete responses (CRs) or partial responses (PRs) to chemotherapy were seen in 26 of 40 patients (65%). Three patients with primary-site disease unresponsive to chemotherapy underwent resection of the primary lesion and neck dissection followed by radiation therapy (RT). Thirty-seven patients were referred after chemotherapy for RT +/- neck dissection. Thirty-one of 40 patient (78%) were rendered disease-free (no evidence of disease [NED]). With a median follow-up of 49 months (range, 31 to 76), the overall actuarial survival rate for the group was 58% at 2 years and 33% at 5 years. The failure-free survival rate was 42% and 33% at 2 and 5 years, respectively. Seven patients refused recommended TL throughout their course. This may have adversely affected survival results. A greater proportion of patients who achieved a CR or PR to chemotherapy remained disease-free compared with those who achieved less than a PR (P less than .001). Sixteen patients relapsed, 10 with locoregional disease. Six patients underwent TL, either for initial induction failure or at relapse, for an actual larynx-preservation rate of 34 of 40 patients (85%). If the seven patients who refused TL are included, the anticipated preservation rate is 27 of 40 patients (68%). Larynx preservation with combined chemotherapy and radiation is feasible and effective in patients with advanced, resectable squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCHN). This treatment approach requires a motivated patient, careful patient monitoring, and close interdisciplinary cooperation among oncologists.

Between January 1975 and December 1980, 111 patients with AJCC stages III and IV squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck were treated with surgery followed by planned postoperative radiation therapy. A previous analysis of a subgroup of these patients showed that, when radiation was delayed more than 6 weeks from surgery, a higher incidence of regional failure occurred compared with the incidence observed when therapy began within a 6 week period. We have looked back at this group of patients plus others in an attempt to determine whether other factors played a role in the results obtained. In the current study, 50 patients had a delay of 6 weeks or more and, of these, 11 (22%) suffered a locoregional recurrence. However, 8 of these 11 patients received suboptimal radiation doses (less than 56 Gy) for permanent control of the disease. In fact, of 17 patients who received at least 60 Gy and had more than a 6 week delay, only 2 (12%) had locoregional failure. This was similar to the incidence of failure in the patients who received at least 60 Gy and who started radiation within the first 6 weeks from surgery (3/20 [15%]). The effect of delay was apparent only in those who received less than 60 Gy (27% vs. 7%, P less than 0.05). Therefore, we cannot validate the previous conclusion that a greater than 6 week delay in the delivery of postoperative radiation therapy in advanced head and neck cancers produces poorer results. The current analysis suggests that a prolonged delay in postoperative radiation therapy in itself does not have a negative impact on locoregional control as long as appropriate tumorcidal doses of more than 60 Gy are employed.

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