Background: Tongue cancer is one of the most common cancers of the oral cavity, excluding lip, and the median age of the patients is approximately 60 years.
Methods: Treatment results of a total of 110 patients with oral tongue cancer admitted to cancer Institute of Tehran University between1999-2003 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were treated by surgery or radiotherapy or chemotherapy in a curative setting.
Results: The median age at the time of first visit was 67 years (range 27-91years).51 patients (46.4%) were female and 59 (53.6%) were male. Primary treatment was surgery in 86 patients (78.2%), radiotherapy alone in 12 patients (10.9%), chemo radiation in 3 patients (2.7%) and chemotherapy (as neo adjuvant therapy) in 8 patients (7.3%). Median dose of radiation in patients who received radiotherapy was 6000CGY in the range of (5000-7500 CGY). Median of follow-up of patients was 10 months in range of (1-78) months.
Conclusion: Local and loco-regional recurrence remains a major clinical problem in oral cavity tumors. Additional studies and detailed analysis of the selection criteria and treatment outcomes across trials are needed to define the best treatment modalities.