Head and neck in situ carcinoma: Survival analysis of the Thuringian cancer registration database

Guntinas-Lichius, O.; Wendt, T.; Buentzel, J.; Esser, D.; Lochner, P.; Mueller, A.; Schultze-Mosgau, S.; Altendorf-Hofmann, A.; Thuringian Head and Neck Cancer Study Group (THANCS),

doi:10.1016/j.oraloncology.2010.01.005

« Previous Next »Oral Oncology
Volume 46, Issue 4 , Pages e5-e9, April 2010

Head and neck in situ carcinoma: Survival analysis of the Thuringian cancer registration database

O. Guntinas-Lichius
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
- Corresponding author. Address: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Lessingstrasse 2, D-07740 Jena, Germany. Tel.: +49 3641 935127; fax: +49 3641 935129.
T. Wendt
- Department of Radiooncology, University Hospital, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
J. Buentzel
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Suedharzkrankenhaus Nordhausen, Nordhausen, Germany
D. Esser
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Helios-Klinikum Erfurt, Erfurt, Germany
P. Lochner
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, SRH Zentralklinikum Suhl, Suhl, Germany
A. Mueller
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, SRH Wald-Klinikum Gera, Gera, Germany
S. Schultze-Mosgau
- Department of Oromaxillofacial Surgery and Plastic Surgery, University Hospital, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
A. Altendorf-Hofmann
- Department of General, Visceral and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany
Thuringian Head and Neck Cancer Study Group (THANCS)

Received 19 November 2009; received in revised form 29 December 2009; accepted 4 January 2010. published online 15 March 2010.

Summary

Head and neck in situ carcinoma is seldom diagnosed. Our knowledge about in situ cancer is limited. This study describes the epidemiology and prognosis of head and neck in situ cancer in Thuringia, Germany. We analyzed the cancer data of the Thuringian cancer registry database from 1996 to 2005. The database contained 3821 patients with primary head and neck cancer. Thirty-four patients (0.88%) had an in situ carcinoma. They were evaluated for patient’s characteristics, tumor stage, incidence, treatment and trends in overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS). During 1996–2005, the average annual incidence of head and neck in situ carcinoma was 0.14 per 100,000 persons. Half of the cases were localized in the larynx. The patients were treated by local excision. Six patients (18%) developed a local recurrence. Only one recurrent tumor was diagnosed in early stage (rT1), but the other five tumors in advanced stage (rT3/rT4). The median time to recurrence was 27.43months. For all 34 patients with in situ carcinoma, the 5-year OS was 84% and the 5-year RFS 60.4%. OS was better for laryngeal in situ cancer than for oral cavity or pharyngeal in situ cancer (p=0.031). The surveillance of patients with head and neck in situ carcinoma after treatment should be performed like in patients with invasive cancer, because nearly one fifth of patients developed a recurrence, predominantly in advanced stage.