Impact of cervical disease and its definitive radiotherapeutic management on survival: Experience in 2013 patients with squamous cell carcinomas of the oropharynx and pharyngolarynx

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Abstract
Two thousand thirteen patients with squamous cell carcinoma of oropharynx and pharyngolarynx were reviewed with regard to neck disease presentation and disease-free survival after radical radiotherapy. All patients were staged according to both the AJCC 1976 and the UICC 1978 classifications. Causes of failure, disease-free survival, and complication rates were assessed. Sixty percent had a clinically positive neck. The 3-year disease-free survival rates were 58%, 44%, 38%, and 25% for AJCC N0, N1, N2, and N3 cases, respectively. Corresponding UICC figures were 58%, 46%, 26%, and 29%. Analyzed parameters were nodal stage, size, site and fixity, and location of primary. Complications attributed to neck disease did not exceed 3%. A critical appraisal of the nodal staging systems is derived from these sets of data.