Salvage surgery for recurrent oropharyngeal cancer after chemoradiotherapy

Background The current study aimed to assess the role of salvage surgery for failure cases of oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) undergoing initial chemoradiotherapy (CRT). Methods The data for 523 patients with previously untreated OPC were gathered from 12 institutions belonging to the Head and Neck Cancer Study Group in Japan Clinical Oncology Group (JCOG). Results Of the 170 patients who received CRT, 35 patients (21 %) had local recurrence or residual disease. Only 11 patients underwent further salvage surgery, and 24 patients received nonsurgical treatment. There were statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of patient age and the presence of a simultaneous regional recurrence. The 5-year overall survival rates for the patients who underwent salvage surgery were 49.1 %, whereas those for the patients who received nonsurgical treatment were 16.3 %. Conclusion The initial treatment method for OPC should be decided carefully and the limitations of salvage surgery should be fully considered.