The six cases of small cell carcinoma of head and neck

Small cell carcinoma of the head and neck is a rare tumor that carries a poor prognosis. We report six cases of small cell carcinoma of the head and neck in our hospital, four of which occurred in the paranasal sinus. The treatment modalities were very inconsistent. As the initial treatment, surgery was performed in two cases, radiotherapy in three, and best supportive care in one. The surgery cases died within one year because of tumor progress with distant metastasis in spite of postoperative radiotherapy. All radiotherapy cases remain alive, with two cases surviving for a long time( 56 months, 102 months). Two cases in the radiotherapy group received concurrent chemotherapy( Cisplatin and Etoposide). Brain metastasis appeared in only one of the six cases. These results suggest that treatment for pulmonary small cell cancer in the head and neck region is reasonably effective, but because strong treatment is required, careful follow-up of adverse events is required.