Weng Chia-Tsun, Chu Pei-Yi, Liu Mu-Tai, Chen Mu-Kuan
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan.
J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2008 Dec;37(6):788-93.
It is well known that small cell carcinoma (SmCC) arising at extrapulmonary sites leads to a poor prognosis for patients. Owing to the infrequency of primary SmCC of the head and neck, it is very unlikely that any large, controlled study will ever be performed. For this reason, recommendations for the treatment of SmCC arising in the head and neck are based primarily on retrospective data from various small case series.
We report five patients with SmCC of the head and neck seen between 2001 and 2007. In two patients, the SmCCs are in the larynx; in another two patients, in the sinonasal region; and in one patient, in the tonsil.
Four patients accepted concurrent chemoradiation therapy (CCRT). Their outcomes are as follows: two patients died, one has adrenal and bone metastasis but is still alive, and one shows no evidence of disease after treatment. One patient refused CCRT and died within 6 months.
The prognosis for patients with primary SmCC of the head and neck is generally poor. Treatment most often involves a combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and hope for improved outcomes hinges principally on the development of improved chemotherapies and other systemic treatments.
众所周知，肺外部位发生的小细胞癌（SmCC）会导致患者预后不良。由于头颈部原发性SmCC发病率低，进行任何大规模对照研究的可能性都极小。因此，头颈部SmCC的治疗建议主要基于来自各种小病例系列的回顾性数据。
我们报告了2001年至2007年间诊治的5名头颈部SmCC患者。其中2例患者的SmCC位于喉部；另外2例位于鼻窦区域；1例位于扁桃体。
4例患者接受了同步放化疗（CCRT）。其结果如下：2例患者死亡，1例有肾上腺和骨转移但仍存活，1例治疗后无疾病证据。1例患者拒绝CCRT并在6个月内死亡。
头颈部原发性SmCC患者的预后通常较差。治疗大多涉及放疗和化疗联合，改善预后的希望主要取决于改进化疗及其他全身治疗方法的研发。
