Second primary cancers of the head and neck following treatment of initial primary head and neck cancers.

The risk of a second primary cancer arising in the head and neck, following surgical or radiation treatment of an initial primary cancer in the head and neck, was evaluated for 2,151 patients whose first cancers were diagnosed and treated at UCLA between 1955 and 1979. Based on follow-up data ranging from 5 to 30 years, the rate of development of second cancers of the head and neck was in excess of 2.5 per 1000 person-years at risk. There was no statistically significant difference in the frequency or post-treatment interval of second primary cancers related to the type of treatment of the first cancer, whether that was surgery, radiation therapy, or surgery plus radiation therapy.