BACKGROUND: Mucosal @entity320 of the head and neck is uncommon, and has a poor prognosis due to locoregional and distant failure. The optimal treatment paradigm for @entity1 with this disease has yet to be determined. OBJECTIVE: To compare the outcomes of @entity1 treated with various commonly used protocols for @entity320 of the head and neck. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Academic tertiary referral center. @entity1 : The medical records of 48 consecutive @entity1 treated at a single institution from January 1, 1985, to December 31, 1998, were reviewed. INTERVENTIONS: @entity1 were treated with surgery alone, surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy, or surgery and biochemotherapy, with or without adjuvant radiotherapy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The outcomes of disease recurrence and survival were correlated with the treatment received. RESULTS: Twenty @entity1 received surgical treatment alone; in 9 @entity1 (45%), this treatment failed locoregionally, and 10 (50%) of the @entity1 developed distant metastases. The 5-year survival rate was 45% (9 of 20 @entity1 ). Twenty-four @entity1 received postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy; in 4 @entity1 (17%), this treatment failed locally, and 11 (46%) of the @entity1 developed distant metastases. The 5-year survival rate was 29% (7 of 24 @entity1 ). CONCLUSION: The addition of radiotherapy tended to decrease the rate of local failure (P =.13), but did not significantly improve survival (P =.73), because of the high rate of distant metastatic disease.

The role of postoperative adjuvant radiation therapy in the treatment of XXXX of the head and neck region.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['Patients', 'patients', 'PATIENTS'] @entity320 :: ('MESH:D008545', 'Disease') :: ['melanoma', 'mucosal melanoma']
@entity320 :: (MESH:D008545,Disease) :: ['mucosal melanomas']
