Five-year outcomes of an oropharynx-directed treatment approach for unknown primary of the head and neck

Squamous cell carcinoma of unknown primary (SCCHNUP) accounts for less than 5% of cancers of the head and neck yet its treatment is controversial with multiple established approaches [1]. If managed by surgery alone, primary emergence occurs in up to 25–30% with high rates of regional failure [2]. Two common treatment approaches have evolved which focus either on (1) managing regional disease with unilateral treatment or (2) treatment of the neck bilaterally with comprehensive elective irradiation of potential mucosal sites of the aerodigestive tract from the nasopharynx to the hypopharynx.

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