Outcome of Palliative and Radical Radiotherapy in Patients with Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma - a Retrospective Study

Abstract

Background: The treatment selection for the oral squamous cell carcinoma remains controversial. Radiation therapy or surgical excision of the lesion can be applied as the sole treatment or it can be used in combination with other treatment modalities. Radiotherapy is considered to be the safest of all the treatment modalities and can be used in several situations for oral and oropharyngeal cancers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the survival outcome differences in patients treated with radical and palliative radiotherapy as the primary treatment modality. Materials and Methods: The study included a total of 47 patients with oral cancer reporting to our hospital between years 2009 to 2010. The age group for the selected patients was more than 65 years, treated with radical and palliative radiotherapy with no prior surgical interventions. Patients were evaluated till Dec 2013 for overall survival time. Results: Twenty nine patients were treated with radical radiotherapy as main stay of treatment, out of which 21 died during the follow up time with median survival of 352 ± 281.7 days with 8 patients alive. All the 16 patients were dead who received palliative radiotherapy with a median survival time of 112 ± 144.0 days. Conclusions: This retrospective study showed improved overall survival time, loco regional control rates and reduced morbidity in patients treated with radical radiotherapy when compared to patients treated with palliative radiotherapy.

Collagen Type III Metabolism Evaluation in Patients with Malignant Head and Neck Cancer Treated with Radiotherapy

“…The following division may be applied, taking into account the therapeutic effect of radiotherapy: Radical radiotherapy: the aim of the treatment is a full recovery of a patient [ 1 ]. Palliative radiotherapy: the therapy is applied in the case of a significant advancement of a disease and its main aim is a local seizure of tumor and maximal lengthening of a patient's life, or in extreme cases, improving the comfort of a patient's life, mainly by minimizing pain [ 1 , 2 ]. …”

“…Palliative radiotherapy: the therapy is applied in the case of a significant advancement of a disease and its main aim is a local seizure of tumor and maximal lengthening of a patient's life, or in extreme cases, improving the comfort of a patient's life, mainly by minimizing pain [ 1 , 2 ].…”

Molecular Markers of Anticancer Drug Resistance in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Literature Review

“…Palliative therapies, such as RT, are focused on reducing the local symptomatology and improving the quality of life of patients [ 14 ]. However, CT therapy combined with multiple cytostatic agents and RT can lead to “tumor chemoresistance” or “multiple drug resistance” (MDR), which may change according to the type of treatment [ 15 ].…”

Expression of p53 as potential biomarker in oral submucous fibrosis: An immunohistochemical study

“…Although the significant roles played by oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes in the development of OSCC have been explored, there are few data on the pathogenesis of OSMF as well as of its MT at the molecular level. [ 8 , 9 ] Therefore, the early detection of potentially malignant OSMF has been crucial in the inhibition of oral cancer. Thus the present study aims to evaluate the demographic (age, education, and socioeconomic status) and pathological factors (habits with duration and frequency) for OSMF and degree and pattern of expression of p53 in OSMF, OSCC, and normal patients and to study the correlation between p53 expression with clinical staging and histological grading of OSMF.…”