Risk of Carotid Blowout After Reirradiation of the Head and Neck: A Systematic Review

Carotid blowout is an infrequent but serious complication of salvage reirradiation for H&N cancer. The rate of CB was lower among patients treated with conventional or hyperfractionated schedules compared with regimens of accelerated hyperfractionation, though heterogeneous patient populations and treatment parameters preclude definite conclusions. Given the high mortality rate of CB, discussion of the risk of CB is an important component of informed consent for salvage reirradiation.