[Preoperative radiochemotherapy of advanced resectable cancer of the oral cavity with cisplatin vs paclitaxel/carboplatin. Analysis of two multimodality treatment concepts]

Survival of patients with pathologic T0N+ oral and oropharyngeal cancer after neoadjuvant therapy and surgery: the minority report

OBJECTIVES

Treatment outcome of patients with oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OOSCC) achieving complete pathologic response at the primary site (ypT0) but incomplete response in loco-regional lymph nodes after preoperative chemoradiation (ypN+) is poorly described in the literature. This study's objective was to assess the survival of patients with OOSCC with ypT0N+ disease.

STUDY DESIGN

176 patients with primary locally advanced OOSCC undergoing preoperative chemoradiotherapy were stratified according to the pathologic TNM classification into 6 groups: ypT0N0M0 (46%), ypT0N+M0 (10%), ypTNM I (24%), ypTNM II (4%), ypTNM III (6%), and ypTNM IV (10%).

RESULTS

Three-year overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates for the ypT0N+M0 group were both 61.8% and were similar to those of the ypTNM I group (OS 62.4%; RFS rate of 59.2%).

CONCLUSIONS

Survival analyses showed that patients with OOSCC with ypT0N+ disease have a similar prognosis to those with pathologic TNM stage I.

Effect of neoadjuvant chemoradiation and postoperative radiotherapy on expression of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) in head and neck vessels

Background

Preoperative radiotherapy and chemotherapy in patients with head and neck cancer result in changes to the vessels that are used to construct microsurgical anastomoses. The aim of the study was to investigate quantitative changes and HSP70 expression of irradiated neck recipient vessels and transplant vessels used for microsurgical anastomoses.

Methods

Of 20 patients included in this study five patients received neoadjuvant chemoradiation, another five received conventional radiotherapy and 10 patients where treated without previous radiotherapy. During surgical procedure, vessel specimens where obtained by the surgeon. Immunhistochemical staining of HSP70 was performed and quantitative measurement and evaluation of HSP70 was carried out.

Results

Conventional radiation and neoadjuvant chemoradiation revealed in a thickening of the intima layer of recipient vessels. A increased expression of HSP70 could be detected in the media layer of the recipient veins as well as in the transplant veins of patients treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiation. Radiation and chemoradiation decreased the HSP70 expression of the intima layer in recipient arteries. Conventional radiation led to a decrease of HSP70 expression in the media layer of recipient arteries.

Conclusion

Our results showed that anticancer drugs can lead to a thickening of the intima layer of transplant and recipient veins and also increase the HSP70 expression in the media layer of the recipient vessels. In contrast, conventional radiation decreased the HSP70 expression in the intima layer of arteries and the media layer of recipient arteries and veins. Comparing these results with wall thickness, it was concluded, that high levels of HSP70 may prevent the intima layer of arteries and the media layer of vein from thickening.

Outcome and histopathologic regression in oral squamous cell carcinoma after preoperative radiochemotherapy

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Preoperative radiochemotherapy has been reported to enhance tumor response and to improve long-term survival in advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. This retrospective study evaluates regression rate and long-term survival in 228 patients with primary oral squamous cell carcinoma treated by neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy and radical surgery.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

All patients with biopsy-proven, resectable oral squamous cell carcinoma - TNM stages II-IV without distant metastasis - received preoperative treatment consisting of fractioned irradiation of the primary and the regional lymph nodes with a total dose of 40 Gy and additional cisplatin (n = 160) or carboplatin (n = 68) during the 1st week of treatment. Radical surgery and neck dissection followed after a delay of 10-14 days. The study only included cases with histologically negative resection margins.

RESULTS

After a median follow-up of 5.2 years, 53 patients (23.2%) had experienced local-regional recurrence. The median 2-year disease-specific survival (DSS) rate was 86.2%. 5-year DSS and 10-year DSS were 76.3% and 66.7%, respectively. Complete histological local tumor regression after surgery (ypT0) was observed in 50 patients (21.9%) and was independent of pretreatment tumor classification. Uni- and multivariate survival analysis revealed that ypT- and ypN-stage were the most decisive predictors for DSS.

CONCLUSION

Preoperative radiochemotherapy with cisplatin/carboplatin followed by radical surgery attains favorable long-term survival rates. This applies especially to cases with complete histological tumor regression after radiochemotherapy, which can be assumed for one of five patients.

Interventions for the treatment of oral and oropharyngeal cancers: surgical treatment

BACKGROUND

Oral and oropharyngeal cancers can be managed by surgery alone or with any combination of radiotherapy, chemotherapy and immunotherapy/biotherapy. Opinions on the surgical treatment, the optimal combinational therapy and the sequence of treatments in combinational therapy varies enormously.

OBJECTIVES

To determine which surgical treatment modalities for oral and oropharyngeal cancers lead to the best outcomes compared with other surgical, radiotherapy, chemotherapy or immunotherapy/biotherapy combinations.

SEARCH STRATEGY

Electronic search of the Cochrane Oral Health Group Trials Register, CENTRAL, MEDLINE, OLDMEDLINE, EMBASE, AMED and the National Cancer Trials Database. Reference lists from relevant articles were searched and the authors of eligible trials were contacted. Date of the most recent searches: July 2007.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Randomised controlled trials of surgery alone or in combination with chemotherapy, radiotherapy or immunotherapy/biotherapy for the treatment of primary oral or oropharyngeal cancer or both.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

A minimum of two review authors conducted data extraction. Risk ratios were calculated for dichotomous outcomes at different time intervals, and hazard ratios were extracted or calculated for disease-free survival, total mortality, and disease-related mortality. Additional information from trial authors was sought. Data on adverse events were collected from the trial reports.

MAIN RESULTS

Thirty-one trials satisfied the inclusion criteria, only 13 of which were assessed as low risk of bias. Trials were grouped into 12 main comparisons. There were no trials that compared different surgical modalities of the primary tumour itself. However, there were a number of trials comparing different approaches to managing the cervical lymph nodes. The majority of treatment regimens under evaluation were surgery in combination with other modalities. As individual treatment regimens within each comparison varied, meta-analysis was inappropriate in most instances. Only two trials could be pooled, comparing concomitant radio/chemotherapy (with surgery) versus radiotherapy (with surgery). A statistically significant difference was shown for disease-free survival (hazard ratio 0.77, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.64 to 0.92) and total mortality (hazard ratio 0.78, 95% CI: 0.64 to 0.95) in favour of the concomitant chemotherapy and radiotherapy (with surgery) arm. No other treatment regimens showed consistent statistically significant results across the outcomes measured.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

There is some evidence that concomitant radio/chemotherapy (with surgery) is more effective than radiotherapy (with surgery) and may benefit outcomes in patients with more advanced oral and oropharyngeal cancers. As these trials were based on head and neck studies, future studies should evaluate this treatment regimen specifically in oral and oropharyngeal cancers separately and also address tumour staging and its impact on outcomes. In general, future studies are encouraged to evaluate site-specific and stage-specific data for oral and oropharyngeal cancers. Future trials should include health-related quality of life assessment as an outcome measure. There is a need for a consolidated standardised approach to reporting adverse events.

IMRT in oral cavity cancer

BACKGROUND

Except for early T1,2 N0 stages, the prognosis for patients with oral cavity cancer (OCC) is reported to be worse than for carcinoma in other sites of the head and neck (HNC). The aim of this work was to assess disease outcome in OCC following IMRT.Between January 2002 and January 2007, 346 HNC patients have been treated with curative intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) at the Department of Radiation Oncology, University Hospital Zurich. Fifty eight of these (16%) were referred for postoperative (28) or definitive (30) radiation therapy of OCC.40 of the 58 OCC patients (69%) presented with locally advanced T3/4 or recurred lesions. Doses between 60 and 70 Gy were applied, combined with simultaneous cisplatin based chemotherapy in 78%. Outcome analyses were performed using Kaplan Meier curves.In addition, comparisons were performed between this IMRT OCC cohort and historic in-house cohorts of 33 conventionally irradiated (3DCRT) and 30 surgery only patients treated over the last 10 years.

RESULTS

OCC patients treated with postoperative IMRT showed the highest local control (LC) rate of all assessed treatment sequence subgroups (92% LC at 2 years). Historic postoperative 3DCRT patients and patients treated with surgery alone reached LC rates of approximately 70-80%. Definitively irradiated patients revealed poorest LC rates with approximately 30 and 40% following 3DCRT and IMRT, respectively.T1 stage resulted in an expectedly significantly higher LC rate (95%, n = 19, p < 0.05) than T2-4 and recurred stages (LC approximately 50-60%, n = 102).Analyses according to the diagnosis revealed significantly lower LC in OCC following definitive IMRT than that in pharyngeal tumors treated with definitive IMRT in the same time period (43% vs 82% at 2 years, p < 0.0001), while the LC rate of OCC following postoperative IMRT was as high as in pharyngeal tumors treated with postoperative IMRT (>90% at 2 years).

CONCLUSION

Postoperative IMRT of OCC resulted in the highest local control rate of the assessed treatment subgroups. In conclusion, generous indication for IMRT following surgical treatment is recommended in OCC cases with unfavourable features like tight surgical margin, nodal involvement, primary tumor stage >T1N0, or already recurred disease, respectively.Loco-regional outcome of OCC following definitive IMRT remained unsatisfactory, comparable to that following definitive 3DCRT.