Concomitant chemo-radio-immunotherapy has a lethal therapeutic effect on tongue carcinomas independent of the clinical stage and histological characteristics of the tumor.

We examined the effect of concomitant chemo-radio-immunotherapy on 80 patients with tongue carcinoma. Disappearance of the tumor without recurrence was observed in 21 patients (38.9%) in intravenous infusion chemotherapy group (A) and in 20 patients (76.9%) in intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy group (B) (P<0.005). A total of 41 patients (51.3%) were free from the tumor after the combined therapy. Along with the good therapeutic effect, oral function was preserved with minimal impairment of speech and mastication. Tumor stage, the mode of tumor cell invasion and tumor cell differentiation were not correlated with the therapeutic effect. In addition, the expression of p53, p21(Cip1/WAF1) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen did not differ between the patients with lethal and non-lethal effects. The 5-year-survival rate was 56.8% in Group A, 76.9% in Group B and 59.6% overall. Thus, combined chemo-radio-immunotherapy, especially intra-arterial infusion, may bring a universal therapeutic effect in tongue carcinoma regardless of the tumor stage and the expression of cell phase-regulating proteins.