BASE OF TONGUE CARCINOMA - PATTERNS OF FAILURE AND PREDICTORS OF RECURRENCE AFTER SURGERY ALONE

Between January 1971 and December 1986, 55 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue base underwent complete surgical resection wi th curative intent. No preoperative or postoperative adjuvant therapy was administered. The study group consisted of 41 men and 14 women (me dian age 61 years). All patients were followed until death (39 patient s) or for a median of 9.4 years. Local control at 5 years was 74%. No predictors of local recurrence were discovered. Control in the dissect ed neck at 5 years was 68%. Control of cancer above the clavicles at 5 years was 48%. Distant metastases developed in 14% of the patients by 5 years. Cause-specific survival at 5 years was 65%. A Cox multivaria te regression analysis revealed that pathologic N stage was the only s ignificant independent predictor of recurrence in the dissected neck, recurrence above the clavicles, and cause-specific survival. The 5-yea r overall survival was 55%. Surgical mortality was 4%.