Treatment of early tongue carcinoma with brachytherapy: results over a 25-year period.

BACKGROUND Brachytherapy for patients with early tongue cancer is an accepted method of treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS The records of 409 patients with T1/2N0M0 tongue cancer treated with brachytherapy between 1978 and 2004 were reviewed. RESULTS The overall and disease-free 5-year survival rates were 82.3% and 64.6% for patients with T1 disease, and 72.2% and 56.0% for patients with T2 disease, respectively. The 5-year nodal metastasis-free survival rates for patients treated between 1978 and 1986, 1987 and 1996, and 1997 and 2004 were 64.8%, 74.8% and 81.3% for patients with T1 disease (p=0.22), and 47.4%, 70.4% and 76.4% for patients with T2 disease (p=0.0011), respectively. The 5-year local recurrence-free survival rates for patients treated between 1978 and 1986, 1987 and 1996, and 1997 and 2004 were 91.0%, 84.0% and 96.9% for patients with T1 disease (p=0.31), and 87.6%, 83.3% and 85.8% for patients with T2 disease (p=0.90), respectively. CONCLUSION The incidence rate of nodal metastasis in patients with early tongue cancer improved over the 25-year period studied, while the local recurrence-free survival rates remained stable.