Carcinomas of the anterior tonsillar pillar and the soft palate--uvula: treatment by radiation therapy.

Sixty-six patients with carcinomas of the anterior tonsillar pillar and/or soft palate-uvula underwent radiation therapy. Three methods were used: (a) conventional fractionation, (b) a combination of conventional fractionation and radon seed implant, and (c) split course therapy in which two one-week courses were separated by two weeks rest. On time, dose, and fractionation (TDF) factor analysis, no significant difference in the success of tumor control was found between the methods. The determinate disease-free survival at two years was 82.4% for T1, 62.5% for T2, and 56.3% for T3--4 lesions; for the whole group, the two- and five-year determinate values were 67.3% and 59.4%, respectively.