This Article Full Text (PDF) Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Syed, A. M. N. Articles by Neblett, D. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Syed, A. M. N. Articles by Neblett, D.

Iridium-192 afterloaded implant in the retreatment of head and neck cancers

Radiation Medicine and Radiation Physics Sections, Los Angeles County - University of Southern California Medical Center, 1200 North State Street, Los Angeles, California 90033, U.S.A

Retreatment of persistent (or "recurrent") carcinoma of the head and neck by means of after-loading ¹⁹²Ir techniques may prove quite satisfactory. A total of 64 patients were retreated by these techniques from February, 1974 to October, 1975 at the Los Angeles County—University of Southern California Medical Center and the Southern California Cancer Center. Follow-up periods, averaging only 24 months (18 to 36 months), are too short for statistically significant evaluation of survival, but the "response rate" has been gratifying.

Only 11 of our 64 patients (17%) have shown no satisfactory response to re-irradiation by interstitial implant. Thirty-one of the 64 patients (49%) have had local control with "good palliation". Twenty-two of the 64 (34%) had at least 50% regression of tumour with "fair" palliation. Thus 83% have had satisfactory response to retreatment. A considerable number of these have survived to the date of this report. Whereas 36 of the 64 (56%) are now dead, 28 of the 64 otherwise hopeless patients (44%) were alive with at least local control of neoplastic disease. Nineteen (30%) have developed necrosis in the implant area (we consider this an acceptable complication rate in view of the poor prognosis of the patients involved in this report). Our experience leads us to believe that local tissue tolerance to retreatment by this afterloading ¹⁹²Ir technique is considerably better than that which would be anticipated for retreatment using external irradiation alone. The degree of palliation obtained appears better than that reported for surgery or for chemotherapy in similar studies.

Received for publication October 1, 1977. Revision received February 1, 1978.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				W. I. Wei, W. K. Ho, A. C. K. Cheng, X. Wu, G. K. H. Li, J. Nicholls, P. W. Yuen, and J. S. T. Sham Management of Extensive Cervical Nodal Metastasis in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma After Radiotherapy: A Clinicopathological Study Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, December 1, 2001; 127(12): 1457 - 1462. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				U. Schaefer, O. Micke, P. Schueller, and N. Willich Recurrent Head and Neck Cancer: Retreatment of Previously Irradiated Areas with Combined Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy-Results of a Prospective Study Radiology, August 1, 2000; 216(2): 371 - 376. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				J. F. Moscoso, M. L. Urken, J. Dalton, M. F. Wesson, and H. F. Biller Simultaneous Interstitial Radiotherapy With Regional or Free-Flap Reconstruction, Following Salvage Surgery of Recurrent Head and Neck Carcinoma: Analysis of Complications Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, September 1, 1994; 120(9): 965 - 972. [Abstract] [PDF]

				A. A. Puthawala, A. M. N. Syed, and T. C. Gates Iridium-192 Implants in the Treatment of Tonsillar Region Malignancies Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, December 1, 1985; 111(12): 812 - 815. [Abstract] [PDF]