[Organ-preserving treatment in inoperable patients with primary oral and oropharyngeal carcinoma: chances and limitations].

Introduction: The aim of this study was to demonstrate the chances of nonoperative therapy in those patients from an unselected population suffering from primary previously untreated squamous cell carcinomas of the oral cavity and the oropharynx who did not seem to be operable.

Patients And Methods: Following interdisciplinary counseling and extensive individual discussion, 72 (21%) of 340 consecutive patients (1997-2004) did not or did not reasonably seem to be operable; three other patients with stage II disease refused surgery. Of the inoperable patients, 95%suffered from far-advanced stage IV disease, 8% had distant metastases, 14% had synchronous malignancies, 9% were aged over 85 years combined with advanced malignant disease, and nearly 50% were limited in their activity or were even bedridden.

[Sentinel lymphonodectomy as a staging method for head and neck cancer. Analysis of 70 patients].

Background: The excision of sentinel lymph nodes has a growing relevance in the diagnosis of oral and oropharyngeal cancer in cases of N0 necks. The validity of sentinel node biopsy (SNB) was examined as a single surgical staging tool.

Patients And Methods: Within the framework of a multi-modal treatment scheme, SNB without elective neck dissection was carried out on 70 previously untreated patients in the same session as the surgery for the primary cancer.