Authors' objectives: The main objective of this study was to assess the safety and effectiveness of HDRBT in the treatment of tumours of the mobile tongue. The main specific objectives were to assess the benefits in terms of safety, locoregional control, distant metastasis and survival with respect to other treatments.

Authors' recommendations: Results: The study encompassed a total of 15 publications that met our selection criteria. With the exception of one clinical trial, all the remaining (casecontrol and caseseries) studies were retrospective and thus reported assessments of historical series of patients. The studies were conducted on patients with early stage T13N0 tumours of the tongue: in some instances, patients with stage T4 disease and positive ganglia involvement were included, mostly in studies with administration of external radiotherapy in addition to brachytherapy. In the majority of studies, patients treated with HDRBT registered toxicity rates that were higher than or similar to those obtained in the studies on low dose rate brachytherapy (LDRBT). Local control and survival were similar with both techniques. These results were reported by most of the studies, including the small sized clinical trial. Studies that administered brachytherapy jointly with external radiotherapy reported widely differing outcomes. Conclusions and recommendations: Isolation of patients and irradiation of healthcare staff are both avoided with HDRBT, yet the evidence found is nevertheless heterogeneous and of moderate low quality. Despite the fact that the general results on effectiveness proved similar for HDRBT and LDRBT, doubts surrounding safety make it impossible to establish general recommendations for use at the present time and its applications should be restricted to selected patient.

Project Status: Completed

Year Published: 2014

URL for published report: https://catalogobibliosaude.sergas.es/ASSCC711S_Linked_Documents/CT201404BraquiterapiaLengua.pdf

English language abstract: An English language summary is available

Publication Type: Not Assigned

Country: Spain

Organisation Name: Scientific Advice Unit, avalia-t; The Galician Health Knowledge Agency (ACIS)

Contact Address: Conselleria de Sanidade, Xunta de Galicia, San Lazaro s/n 15781 Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Tel: 34 981 541831; Fax: 34 981 542854;

Contact Name: avalia-t@sergas.es

Contact Email: avalia-t@sergas.es

Copyright: Galician Agency for Health Technology Assessment (AVALIA-T)