THE TREATMENT OF RECURRENCE FOLLOWING FAST-NEUTRON THERAPY FOR BEAD AND NECK MALIGNANCY

Twenty-eight patients received fast neutron therapy for head and neck malignancy. Of these, seven had no recurrence, 13 had a recurrence at the primary site, five had a recurrence in the neck and three had a re currence in the neck and at the primary site. Treatment of a primary s ite recurrence was difficult with seven of the eight patients submitte d for major surgical resection developing serious complications. Of th e six patients developing a fistula four required flap repair. The tum our specific 5-year survival for the whole group of 28 patients was 29 %. The surgical treatment of locoregional recurrence following fast ne utron therapy is fraught with problems and some type of flap repair is usually necessary.