Recurrent head and neck cancer: The results of treatment

Abstract A study of 144 patients with cancer of the head and neck showed that 67 (46 per cent) developed recurrent cancer. Radical second treatment, almost exclusively by surgery, secured an 11 out of 67 or 16 per cent crude 5-year survival rate for recurrent head and neck cancer. Further analysis showed that the prospects of successful second treatment were negligible or nil with certain identifiable tumours or tumour sites. When these identifiable cases are excluded the survival rate for head and neck cancer became 11 out of 45 or 24 per cent. Age and general condition rendered some patients unfit for radical surgery. In this series 30 patients were treated by radical surgery with a patients cured: patients surgically treated ratio of 11 out of 30 or 36 per cent.