Prognostic factors of unknown primary head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Abstract

To evaluate the prognostic factors of unknown primary head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Retrospective study. Patients with unknown primary HNSCC from 1980 to 2000 were included. Forty-eight patients, predominantly male and with a mean age of 63.3+/-11.6 years, were recruited. The median survival time (MST) was 44 months. The overall survival rate was 60.4 percent at three years and 39.6 percent at five years. Forty-two patients receiving intervention regimens had a MST of 45 months, while six patients receiving palliative therapy had a MST of 8.5 months (log rank test, P=0.016). With multivariate Cox regression analysis, age (per year), higher nodal stage (N3 vs N1 or N2), and treatment (operation vs nonoperation) had a hazard ratio of 1.081 (P<0.0001), 5.852 (P=0.010), and 0.4 (P=0.042), respectively. Older age, higher nodal stage, and palliative treatment indicated poor prognosis. Survival time might be prolonged if surgical treatment is tolerable.