CARCINOMA OF THE TONSIL AND NASOPHARYNX

A 20 YEAR END RESULTS REPORT

¹ Senior Radiotherapist, Dr. W. W. Cross Cancer Institute, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
² Director, Department of Surgery, Dr. W. W. Cross Cancer Institute, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Carcinoma of the tonsil, especially with comparatively early disease, is a highly curable condition, when adequate irradiation is used. Failure to achieve control becomes evident early. If the primary tumor is still present 6 weeks following completion of therapy, radical surgery should be considered and should include all of the original area involved by tumor. Clearance of primary tumor with persistence of lymph node disease following adequate therapy is probably an indication for neck dissection alone. Obviously, involvement of both surgeon and radiotherapist in the initial assessment and at follow-up is highly desirable.

Universal application of one staging system, one method of adjusting crude survival, and one expression of radiation dosage should be encouraged.

In carcinoma of the nasopharynx, the U.I.C.C. method of staging proved difficult to apply retrospectively. However, it was possible to define and stage early disease, and these cases provided most of the survivors. The pattern of recurrence related to dose was unpredictable.

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