One hundred and five consecutive patients who underwent major surgical procedures for head and neck cancer were reviewed for complications. Those who received irradiation in an "unplanned" fashion suffered a far greater incidence of complications (77% dehiscence, 73% fistula, and 50% carotid artery necrosis) than did those irradiated in "planned" fashion (35% dehiscence, 23% fistulae, and 2.8% carotid artery necrosis), or nonirradiated patients (15% dehiscence, 8% fistulae, and 0% carotid artery necrosis).
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Joseph et al. (1973) studied this question.