Survival analysis of patients with early distant metastasis of tongue cancer undergoing radiotherapy

Background Tongue cancer is a common head - neck malignancy, and lung is the most frequent site of its distant metastasis. Chemotherapy is widely used for tongue cancer with pulmonary metastasis, yet the effectiveness of radiotherapy as a local treatment lacks clear recommendation in clinical guidelines. The core objective of this study is to delve into whether, for patients with early - stage metastatic tongue cancer, the combined treatment approach of adding radiotherapy to chemotherapy can effectively extend their effective survival period. Methods Based on the SEER database, we analyzed tongue cancer patients with pulmonary metastasis diagnosed from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2021. Inclusion criteria were tongue cancer (M1 stage) with pulmonary metastasis. Kaplan - Meier survival curves and Cox regression models evaluated radiotherapy's effect on OS. Results Among 135 patients, 68 received radiotherapy (RT group) and 67 did not (Non - RT group). Kaplan - Meier analysis showed the RT group had a significantly longer median OS ((P = 0.0063)). Multivariate Cox regression indicated radiotherapy significantly reduced the death risk (HR = 0.57, (P = 0.007)). Conclusion Radiotherapy may positively impact the OS of tongue cancer patients with pulmonary metastasis, especially when combined with chemotherapy. Although it's an effective survival predictor in some models, further prospective studies are needed to verify its independent effect for personalized treatment. It may be effective to consider radiotherapy as a complementary treatment measure while exercising chemotherapy.