Salivary Gland Surgery Before Radiation Therapy in Preventing Radiation-Caused Xerostomia in Patients With Head and Neck Cancer

Inclusion Criteria

• •DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
• •One of the following diagnoses:
• •* Histologically confirmed, previously untreated squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx, hypopharynx, or larynx
• •* Head and neck cancer of unknown primary with unilateral metastases to the neck nodes
• •No N3 disease
• •No carcinoma of the oral cavity or nasopharynx
• •No bilateral neck node involvement
• •No suspicious neck node on the contralateral neck or the side chosen for salivary gland transfer by CT scan or MRI
• •No pre-epiglottic space involvement
• •No involvement of level 1 nodes on either side of the neck
• •No salivary gland malignancy
• •No recurrent disease
• •PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
• •Age
• •At least 18 years old
• •Performance status
• •Zubrod 0-1
• •Life expectancy
• •Not specified
• •Hematopoietic
• •Hemoglobin at least 10 g/dL
• •Hepatic
• •Not specified
• •Renal
• •Not specified
• •Other
• •Not pregnant or nursing
• •Negative pregnancy test
• •Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• •No salivary gland disease (e.g., Sjögren's syndrome)
• •No other malignancy within the past 3 years except basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer
• •PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
• •Biologic therapy
• •Not specified
• •Chemotherapy
• •More than 3 years since prior chemotherapy
• •No prior or concurrent neoadjuvant chemotherapy
• •Concurrent adjuvant chemoradiotherapy (in addition to study radiotherapy) allowed
• •Endocrine therapy
• •Not specified
• •Radiotherapy
• •See Chemotherapy
• •No prior radiotherapy to the head and neck
• •No concurrent intensity-modulated radiotherapy
• •Surgery
• •Not specified
• •Other
• •No concurrent cholinergic drugs
• •No concurrent anti-cholinergic drugs
• •No concurrent tricyclic drugs
• •No concurrent prophylactic amifostine or pilocarpine during and for at least 3 months after completion of study radiotherapy