Results of Head and Neck Cancer Treatment in Faculty of Medicine Vajira Hospital

Abstract

Results of Head and Neck Cancer Treatment in Faculty of Medicine Vajira Hospital

Pichai Puapermpoonsiri MD*

Kanyarat Katanyoo MD**

Thanatip Tantivattana MD**

Marisa Jongthanakorn MD**

* Department of Otolaryngology

** Radiation Oncology Section, Department of Radiology

Faculty of Medicine Vajira Hospital, University of Bangkok Metropolis

Objectives: To evaluate the survival rate and factors associated with survival of the head and neck cancer patients.

Methods: This study was a retrospective descriptive study. Medical records of 404 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck who were treated at Faculty of Medicine Vajira Hospital between January 1993 and December 2009 were reviewed. The data was collected from the outpatient records, the inpatient records, the radiotherapeutic records, the pathology records, the population record forms, and from the information in the hospital computer.

Results: Of 404 patients, 82.4% were male, 17.6% were female. Mean age was 59.5 + 12.1 years. Tumor distribution was at the oral cavity region 29.7%, oropharynx 25.5%, larynx 28.0% (glottis 15.4%, supraglottis 8.4%, transglottis 4.2%) hypopharynx 16.8%. About 6.7% of patients had stage I disease; 14.1%, 24.0%, and 55.2% had stage II, stage III, and stage IV diseases respectively. Overall 2-year survival rate was 39.7%. Factors statistical significantly associated with survival by multivariable analysis were sex, cancer staging and site of tumor. Male had 2-year survival rate of 37.2% compared with 51.2% in female. Patients with stage 4 had 2-year survival rate of 29.8% which was significantly lower than 66.0% in stage 1, while in stage 2 and 3 the 2-year survival rate were 55.7% and 45.0% respectively. Patients with glottis cancer had 2-year survival rate of 59.4%, which was significantly higher than in oral cancer (36.8%), while supraglottis cancer, transglottis cancer, oroharyngeal cancer and hypopharyngeal cancer had 2-year survival rate of 44.7%, 44.9%, 35.2% and 29.6% respectively.

Conclusion: The 2-year survival rate of head and neck cancer patients was 39.7%. Factors associated with survival rate were sex, cancer staging, and site of tumor.

Keywords: head and neck cancers, overall survival, survival factors