Survival study and treatment strategy for second primary tumors in the oral cavity in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma after definitive radiation

Background The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinicopathologic characteristics and prognostic factors of second primary tumors (SPTs) in the oral cavity in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) after definitive radiation, and to determine an optimal treatment strategy for these patients. Methods This retrospective study enrolled consecutive patients who were admitted to the Sun YatSen University Cancer Center between 1990 and 2005. Results The key prognostic factors influencing the survival were age when NPC was diagnosed, TNM stage, and surgery treatment modality. Multivariate analysis revealed that the clinical TNM stage was an independent risk factor for patient survival. Conclusion Clinical TNM stage was an independent prognostic factor that influenced the treatment outcome. Our data indicate that the survival of patients with SPTs in the oral cavity can be improved by modifying treatment strategy, and that surgery is preferred when SPTs are diagnosed at an earlier stage. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2011