Background: Surgery, conventional radiation therapy, and chemotherapy are established methods of treating patients with head and neck cancer. Conventional radiation therapy is often ineffective in treating recurrent tumors. Modern methods of interstitial and intracavitary brachytherapy change this view.
Methods and patients: In our series of 37 patients with recurrent head and neck cancer, we encountered no technical difficulties in placing indwelling catheters, needles, or applicators. We treated tumors of the nose, epipharynx, tongue, base of the tongue, trachea, esophagus, and cervical lymph nodes. In these patients, we successfully irradiated the tumor with doses up to 30 Gray. A case history is presented to demonstrate the combined action of intratumoral interferon alfa injection and interstitial brachytherapy on a tumor of the base of the tongue.
Results: Total remission rate 32/36 patients, 14 complete remission, 18 partial remission. Main complications were bleeding in one patient due to a vascular lesion and fistula formation.
Conclusion: Brachytherapy is well suited for treating recurrent tumors of the head and neck region in individual patients.