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. 2013 Mar;31(1):1-11.
doi: 10.3857/roj.2013.31.1.1. Epub 2013 Mar 31.

Comparison of survival rates between patients treated with conventional radiotherapy and helical tomotherapy for head and neck cancer

Moonkyoo Kong  1 , Seong Eon Hong, Jinhyun Choi, Youngkyong Kim
Affiliations

Comparison of survival rates between patients treated with conventional radiotherapy and helical tomotherapy for head and neck cancer

Moonkyoo Kong et al. Radiat Oncol J. 2013 Mar.

Abstract

Purpose: Compared to conventional radiotherapy (RT), intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) significantly reduces the rate of treatment-induced late toxicities in head and neck cancer. However, a clear survival benefit of IMRT over conventional RT has not yet been shown. This study is among the first comparative study to compare the survival rates between conventional RT and helical tomotherapy in head and neck cancer.

Materials and methods: From January 2008 to November 2011, 37 patients received conventional RT and 30 patients received helical tomotherapy for management of head and neck cancer. We retrospectively compared the survival rates between patients treated with conventional RT and helical tomotherapy, and analyzed the prognostic factors for survival.

Results: The 1- and 2-year locoregional recurrence-free survival rates were 61.2% and 58.1% for the conventional RT group, 89.3% and 80.3% for the helical tomotherapy group, respectively. The locoregional recurrence-free survival rates of the helical tomotherapy group were significantly higher than conventional RT group (p = 0.029). There were no significant differences in the overall and distant metastasis-free survival between the two groups. RT technique, tumor stage, and RT duration were significant prognostic factors for locoregional recurrence-free survival.

Conclusion: This study showed the locoregional recurrence-free survival benefits of helical tomotherapy in the treatment of head and neck cancers.

Keywords: Conventional radiotherapy; Head and neck cancer; Helical tomotherapy; Survival rate.

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Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Overall survival in the conventional radiotherapy (RT) group and the helical tomotherapy group. The 1- and 2-year overall survival rates were 93.9% and 87.1% for the conventional RT group, 96.6% and 96.6% for the helical tomotherapy group, respectively (p = 0.095).
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Loco-regional recurrence-free survival in the conventional radiotherapy (RT) group and the helical tomotherapy group. The 1- and 2-year loco-regional recurrence-free survival rates were 61.2% and 58.1% for the conventional RT group, 89.3% and 80.3% for the helical tomotherapy group, respectively (p = 0.029).
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Distant metastasis-free survival in the conventional radiotherapy (RT) group and the helical tomotherapy group. The 1- and 2-year distant metastasis-free survival rates were 86.1% and 82.4% for the conventional RT group, 92.0% and 75.1% for the helical tomotherapy group, respectively (p = 0.994).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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