Radiotherapy and prognosis of 160 patients with tonsillar carcinoma

Objective To evaluate the therapeutic outcome and define the prognostic factors in patients with tonsillar carcinoma after radical radiotherapy. Methods From April 1958 to May 1998, 160 patients with tonsillar carcinoma proven pathology, treated primarily with definitive radiotherapy were eligible for the present analysis. According to TNM staging system, there are 7 Stage Ⅰ, 29 Stage Ⅱ, 43 Stage Ⅲ and 81 Stage Ⅳ patients. The significance of prognostic variables in the survival expectancy was evaluated with multivariate analysis and Cox stepwise regression model. Results The 5 , 10 year actuarial survival rates were 59.2% and 52.1%.The 5 ,10 year disease free survival rates were 59.0% and 56.3%, respectively. The 5 year survival rates based on stage were 83.3% for Stage Ⅰ, 83.7% for Stage Ⅱ, 73.5% for Stage Ⅲ and 40.7% for Stage Ⅳ , respectively (P = 0.002). Multivariate analysis showed that T and N stages are the significant prognostic factors (P0.05). Conclusions Radiotherapy for tonsillar carcinoma is a primary treatment for the selection, especially for Stage Ⅰ and Ⅱ patients who are likely to give good results. The primary tumor and neck stages are the signifcant prognostic factors.