Bakhronov I.A., Kondakova I.V., Kakurina G.V., Sereda E.E., Yunusova N.V., Korshunov D.A., Sidenko E.A., Shtin V.I., Kulbakin D.E., Choynzonov E.L. Results of complex treatment of patients with oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer using preoperative chemoradiotherapy. Head and neck. Head and Neck. Russian Journal. 2025;13(4):144–151
DOI: https://doi.org/10.25792/HN.2025.13.4.144-151
Objective: To compare the prognosis of locoregional recurrence in patients with oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer after two types of combined treatment: neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemoradiotherapy.
Material and methods. The study included 176 patients with T1-4N0-2M0 squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity and oropharynx. All patients received complex treatment with either neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NACRT) and subsequent surgery, or surgical treatment with subsequent adjuvant chemoradiotherapy (ACRT). The relationship between the effectiveness of the type of treatment and 3-year relapse-free survival rates was assessed using the log-rank test. Cumulative survival curves were constructed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results. In 73 (41.5%) patients out of the total number of patients included in the study, progression in the form of locoregional relapse was detected in the long term. In the group of patients whose treatment included NACRT at the preoperative stage, the 3-year relapse-free survival rates were higher compared with the group of patients whose combined treatment was started with the surgical stage followed by ACRT. The assessment of the 3-year cumulative relapse-free survival rates depending on the type of treatment performed in groups of patients with different localization of the tumor showed that in case of oral cancer, survival in the group of NACRT followed by surgery was better than in the initial surgical treatment followed by ACRT. In case of oropharyngeal cancer, survival rates did not differ depending on the type of complex treatment performed.
Conclusion: Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery provides statistically significant improvement in relapse-free survival rate in patients with oral cavity cancer. The proposed method can be used to improve treatment outcomes for patients with this tumor localization.
Keywords: oral cavity cancer, oropharyngeal cancer, preoperative chemoradiation therapy, survival prognosis
Conflict of interest. The authors have no conflicts of interest.
Funding. The work was carried out within the framework of State assignment No. 075-01184-22-04 at the Cancer Research Institute of the Tomsk National Research Medical Center.