Introduction: Recently new concepts for the treatment of oral squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) have been developed, which include preoperative simultaneous neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy (RCT) and one stage operation with excision of the tumour and reconstruction. When we consider long-term survival, we find substantial evidence that combined treatment based on neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy is superior to adjuvant treatment including operation and postoperative radiation.Patients and methods: We studied two groups consisting of 74 patients given neoadjuvant treatment and 54 treated surgically. Ninety-nine patients suffered from stage III and IV diseases according to the UICC-criteria. Long-term survival was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method.Results: Neoadjuvant treatment increased the prospect of a long-term survival free of tumour. Kaplan-Meier curves estimated a 5-year tumour-free survival in oral squamous cell carcinoma category T1 as 83% in the neoadjuvant group and 70% in the adjuvant group; the corresponding figures for T2 were 79% and 57%, for T3 68% and 33% and for T4 51% and 30%, respectively. The difference for T1, T2 and T4 tumours were significant. The preoperative radio- and chemotherapy were shown to be effective by the fact that pathohistologically resection specimens were free of tumour in 28 patients in the neoadjuvant group. Four patients died during the preoperative combination treatment. Of the patients, 65% in the adjuvant group and 72% in the neoadjuvant group survived the observation period.Conclusion: The neoadjuvant treatment results in better 5-year-survival rate than adjuvant treatment. (c) 2007 The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All r ights reserved.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:In recent years, different concepts for the treatment of oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) have been developed; these include preoperative simultaneous neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy and one-stage surgery with tumor ablation and reconstruction. When considering long-term survival, there is substantial evidence that multimodality treatment based on a neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy is superior to adjuvant therapy concepts based on a surgical approach with postoperative irradiation. The aim of this study was to discuss the 5-year survival rate in a neoadjuvant and an adjuvant combination treatment in patients with primary OSCC.PATIENTS AND METHODS:This nonrandomized longitudinal study prospectively evaluates the long-term tumor-free survival in 128 patients with oral cancer. Two groups consisting of 74 neoadjuvantly and 54 primarily surgically treated patients were formed. 99 patients suffered from stage III and IV disease according to the UICC criteria. Long-term survival was estimated according to the Kaplan-Meier assumption.RESULTS:The neoadjuvant treatment increases the prospect of a long-term tumor-free survival. According to Kaplan-Meier assumption the estimation for a 5-year tumor-free survival in OSCC in category T1 is 83.1% in neoadjuvant, and 70.1% in adjuvant treatment, in T2 79.6% and 57.7%, in T3 68.2% and 33.2%, in T4 51.4% and 30.5%, respectively. Significance (p<0.05) could be proven for T1 (p=0.002), T2 (p=0.028), and T4 (p<0.0001) tumors. The effectiveness of the preoperative radiochemotherapy was demonstrated in the pathohistological result of tumor-free resection specimens in 28 patients of the neoadjuvant treatment group (37.8%). On the other hand, four patients died during the preoperative combination therapy. 64.8% of the patients in the adjuvant and 71.6% in the neoadjuvant treatment group survived the observation period.CONCLUSION:Neoadjuvant therapy is highly effective and results in a better 5-year survival rate than adjuvant treatment. All patients with primary OSCC should be selected for such a treatment. Future therapy concepts should combine the effectiveness of a systemic treatment with the safety of a limited surgical resection of the tumor site to preserve as much function as possible.

The abnormalities covered by the generic term “oculo-auriculovertebral spectrum” (OAV) form an exceptional heterogeneous dysmorphic complex characterized by unilateral malformations of miscellaneous craniofacial structures. The aim of the present study was to analyze morphometrically the developmental deficits concerning the temporomandibular joints, the mandibular rami and the mastication muscles by comparing the affected with the non-affected side.

Das Plattenepithelkarzinom der Mundhöhle gehört zu denzehn häufigsten malignen Tumoren des Körpers. Trotz kombinierterTherapiemaßnahmen ist die Prognose des Mundhöhlenkarzinoms nachwie vor schlecht. Alle Behandlungsmaßnahmen haben inunterschiedlichem Maß Einfluss auf die Lebensqualität derPatienten. In den letzten Jahren wurden Behandlungskonzepteunter adjuvanter oder neoadjuvanter Kombination mitRadiochemotherapie und chirurgischer Resektion destumortragenden Areals favorisiert. Neoadjuvante Therapiekonzeptescheinen dabei in Bezug auf die 5-Jahres-Überlebensrate bessereErgebnisse zu erbringen.