Salvage surgery after head and neck squamous cell carcinoma treated with bioradiotherapy.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to describe the results and complications of primary site salvage surgery after head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) treated with bioradiotherapy. METHODS We conducted a retrospective chart review of 268 patients treated with bioradiotherapy between March 2006 and December 2013 at the Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge-ICO. RESULTS Fifty-nine patients developed local recurrence or had residual disease with a 1-year and 3-year overall survival of 47% and 15.4%, respectively. Salvage surgery was feasible in 22 patients (37.3%). There were 16 complications in these 22 patients (72.7%), 11 (50%) of which were major. Bilateral neck dissection was identified as a risk factor for complications. CONCLUSION Salvage surgery after bioradiotherapy is associated with a high rate of complications. Neck dissection seems to be related to an increased rate of complications with no survival improvement. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: 116-121, 2017.