Clinical outcome of salvage neck dissections in head and neck cancer in relation to initial treatment, extent of surgery and patient factors

Objective: Salvage surgery has a higher complication rate compared to primary surgical treatment. We evaluated clinical outcome of salvage neck dissections in relation to initial treatment modality, extent of surgery and patient-related factors.

Design: Single institution consecutive case series.

Setting: Tertiary Head and Neck Cancer Centre.

Participants: In all, 87 patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, who underwent salvage neck dissection after initial radiotherapy (n = 30), radiotherapy with carboplatin/5-fluorouracil (n = 43) or radiotherapy with cetuximab (n = 14).

Main outcome measures: Incidence of complications, disease-specific survival.

Results: Complications occurred in 28% of the patients. Multivariate analysis identified extent of neck dissection as the only independent predictor of surgical complications (P = 0.010). Surgical complication rate was 16% after radiotherapy with systemic treatment, and 47% after radiotherapy alone (P = 0.171). The 5-year disease-specific survival was 55%, independent of complications, initial treatment, extent of surgery and patient-related factors.

ConclusionThe only predictor for surgical complications was extent of surgery. Survival was not influenced by complications.