T2-T4 carcinoma of the skin of the head and neck treated with radical irradiation.

This is an analysis of 99 patients with 100 T2-T4 previously untreated (56) or recurrent (44) carcinomas of the skin of the head and neck that were treated with radical irradiation between October 1964 and December 1983. Fifty-five patients had squamous cell carcinomas, 42 had basal cell carcinomas, and 3 had basosquamous carcinomas. The lesions were staged according to the AJCC staging system. All patients were observed for at least 2 years, and 71% had at least a 5-year follow-up. Eighty-four percent of recurrences were noted within 2 years of radiation therapy, and 97% within 5 years of treatment. This paper will present data on the initial and ultimate rates of local control, factors, such as bone, cartilage, and nerve invasion, that affect the likelihood of local control, determinate survival rates, and the incidence of treatment complications.