[On the radio-surgery of the carcinoma of the tongue (n = 1,000) (author's transl)].

In the period 1931 to 1976 1,116 patients were admitted to our department--1,000 were treatable. The 5 year survival rate is 26.7% out of 975 cases with follow-up. There is a marked difference between the regions of the corpus and the radix linguae which present with different symptoms and--in relation to these--have a very different prognosis. The Ca linguae and sublinguale are without symptoms--after treatment--in 29.15%, the Ca radicis linguae in 10.5% only. The method of choice was in case of circumscribed invasion radio-surgery, in case of Radix Ca or diffusion or involvement of fixated lymphnodes irradiation with external beams: Radium, Cobalt, Betatron. 20 years ago, Wasserburger, the late leader of our departement, published the results of his investigations on data of 628 patients with Ca of the tongue. The good results which are due to a methodical approach and meticulous treatment were not equalled by another method, neither irradiation alone nor surgery. To preserve the unique homogeneity of this material we stuck to this therapy which consists in the coagulation of the tumor, interstitial implants of radium-needles in the layers adjacent to the electrocoagulation and in external radiation of the regional lymphnodes and additional chemotherapy if indicated. On january, 21st., 1976, the thousandst patient with Ca of the tongue was admitted to our departement to be treated and so continues the chain of patients which were extensively documented and are followed up in coordinative work with the ENT departement in our hospital. In summary there were 1,116 cases, 116 were too progredient to be treated.