A recent meta-analysis found that in patients with extramedullary plasmacytoma of the head and neck, radiotherapy and surgery provide similar survival outcomes, but radiotherapy significantly reduces the risk of progression to multiple myeloma. The study included 12 studies with 742 patients, comparing outcomes between radiation therapy and surgery. Overall survival, disease-free survival, and local recurrence rates did not significantly differ between the two treatment options. However, patients who received radiotherapy were 63% less likely to progress to multiple myeloma, possibly due to better coverage over residual tumors. The authors suggest that radiotherapy may be an optimal treatment strategy for these rare tumors.
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Radiotherapy Cuts Myeloma Risk in Rare Head and Neck Cancer
