Planned postradiotherapy bilateral neck dissection for head and neck cancer.

Purpose: This is a retrospective analysis of 50 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck treated with radiotherapy (RT) to the primary site and bilateral neck followed by a planned bilateral neck dissection approximately 4 to 6 weeks after completion of RT.

Patients And Methods: Between November 1964 and March 1997, 50 patients underwent bilateral neck dissections after RT, with minimum 2-year follow-up. Forty-eight patients had bilateral positive neck nodes.

Results: At 5 years, the rates of neck disease control, local-regional control, and cause-specific survival were 76%, 70%, and 39%, respectively. Five severe complications developed after surgery, and 1 developed after RT.

Conclusions: Radiotherapy followed by a planned bilateral neck dissection resulted in a high rate of local-regional control with acceptable morbidity. The likelihood of severe complications after simultaneous (as opposed to staged) neck dissection was not significantly different (P =.24).