The value of postoperative radiotherapy as an adjuvant to radical neck dissection.

In this study the results of combined radiotherapy and surgery are compared with the results of surgery alone in patients with neck node metastases from squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck region. Postoperative radiotherapy decreases the recurrence rate in the neck, especially in cases with histologically established extranodal spread. Results of preoperative radiotherapy were similar to those of irradiation after surgery. Postoperative radiotherapy is favored, because it allows a selection of patients for extra treatment on the base of prognostic information, provided by the histologic characteristics of the neck dissection specimen.