Acta Otorrinolaringol Esp. 2012;63(5):348---354 www.elsevier.es/otorrino ORIGINAL ARTICLE Functional and Oncological Results of Non-surgical vs Surgical Treatment in Squamous Cell Carcinomas of the Oropharynx  Juan Pablo Díaz-Molina, a,b,* Juan Pablo Rodrigo, a,b César Álvarez-Marcos, a,b Pilar Blay, b,c Ángeles de la Rúa, d Enrique Estrada, c Ramón Alonso d a Servicio de Otorrinolaringología, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain b Instituto Universitario de Oncología del Principado de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain c Servicio de Oncología Médica, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain d Servicio de Oncología Radioterápica, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain Received 16 February 2012; accepted 19 February 2012 KEYWORDS Squamous cell carcinomas; Oropharynx; Radiotherapy; Chemotherapy; Surgery; Survival; Quality of life Abstract Introduction and objectives: Squamous cell carcinomas of the oropharynx are aggressive tumours usually diagnosed at advanced stage. Their optimal treatment has not been estab- lished. The aim of this study was to compare the oncological and functional outcomes in patients with carcinomas of the oropharynx treated by radiotherapy (with chemotherapy in advanced stages) vs surgery (with radiotherapy in advanced stages). Methods: A retrospective study on 50 patients with squamous cell cancer of the oropharynx treated by radiotherapy (with or without chemotherapy) at our institution between 1998 and 2008 was carried out. The oncological and functional results were compared with patients with same cancer location and stage treated by surgery (with or without radiotherapy). In both groups, the patients were classified as follows: 10% Stage I, 12% Stage II, 16% Stage III, 48% Stage IVa and 14% Stage IVb. Results: The 5-year disease-specific survival was 33% in the radiotherapy group and 52% in the surgical group (P=.17). Five-year disease-specific survival for Stage I and II patients was 82% in the radiotherapy group and 70% in the surgical group. In Stages III and IV disease, 5-year disease- specific survival was higher in the surgical group (47% vs 17%). The functional results were similar; anatomical and functional preservation of the larynx was higher in the radiotherapy group but the successful return to oral food intake was higher in the surgical group. Conclusions: The prognosis of squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx is poor. Oncological results in Stages I and II were similar for radiotherapy and surgical treatments. In advanced stages, the prognosis was better in patients treated by surgery with or without radiotherapy. Functional results were similar in both treatment modalities. © 2012 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.  Please cite this article as: Díaz-Molina JP, et al. Resultados oncológicos y funcionales del tratamiento no quirúrgico comparado con el quirúrgico en los carcinomas epidermoides de orofaringe. Acta Otorrinolaringol Esp. 2012;63:348---54. ∗ Corresponding author. E-mail address: chescadoc@yahoo.com (J.P. Díaz-Molina). 2173-5735/$ – see front matter © 2012 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved. Document downloaded from http://www.elsevier.es, day 23/03/2013. This copy is for personal use. Any transmission of this document by any media or format is strictly prohibited.