Daily multiple session radiation therapy in advanced oral carcinoma. A preliminary investigation.

Abstract

Radiation therapy using conventional fractionation schedules has not achieved adequate disease control in patients with advanced oral carcinoma. Hence a trial was conducted to investigate the efficacy of daily multiple session irradiation in this disease. Of the 32 patients entered in the study, 25 were eligible for evaluation. Sixteen of the 25 patients had no evidence of disease during a follow-up period of 24 months. Acute mucosal reactions were observed in all the patients, but they subsided in 2 to 4 weeks after completion of treatment. The results obtained in this pilot study justify evaluation of this method in a larger number of patients with advanced oral carcinoma.