Interstitial high dose rate brachytherapy for cancer of the oral tongue

Between October 1992 and March 1996, 34 patients with cancer of the tongue without nodal metastases underwent fractionated interstitial brachytherapy with a high dose rate (HDR) iridium remote afterloader. The types of treatment consisted of brachytherapy (BT) alone: 8 cases, BT after surgery: 3 cases, BT after systemic chemotherapy: 3 cases, BT after arterial infusion (AI): 14 cases, BT after external beam radiotherapy (ERT): 5 cases, and BT after AI+ERT: 1 case. Applicators were implanted under general anesthesia. Reference dose was estimated at point 5 mm from source. Brachytherapy was carried out in 10 fractions twice a day for 5 days. Patients received 60 Gy with BT alone, 45-55 Gy after ERT, and 50-55 Gy after chemotherapy. Local failure was found in 5 cases with T2 lesions. Recurrence occurred in 5 out of 27 cases with tumor thickness of 10 mm or less. On the other hand, there were no recurrences in 7 cases with tumor thickness of more than 10 mm. Among various types of treatment, BT following systemic chemotherapy or AI exhibited better results (local failure: 1/17) than other modalities. Lymph node metastases appeared in 11 cases. Cause specific survival was 91% at 2 years in all cases. Ulcerations of the tongue were noted in 7 in 26 evaluable cases. Although ulceration occurred in 6/13 cases treated until March 1994, the incidence decreased to 1/13 afterwards. Careful implantation and dose prescription contributed to the decrease in ulceration. Ulcerative lesions healed with conservative care within 6 months in all cases. Bone exposure occurred in 2 cases that received 60 Gy following AI for advanced diseases. HDR fractionated brachytherapy may be a workable alternative to LDR therapy for cancer of the tongue. Brachytherapy following chemotherapy can be applied to more advanced cases of the disease. (K.H.)