Modern treatment outcomes for early T-stage oropharyngeal cancer treated with intensity-modulated radiation therapy at a tertiary care institution

Molecular features of T and N stage progression in laryngeal cancer

Laryngeal squamous cell cancer (LSCC) is a common type of head and neck cancer that is typically unrelated to human papilloma virus (HPV) infection. Late-stage laryngeal cancers are associated with greater morbidity due to obstructive symptoms, and poorer overall survival. Using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), we analyzed 112 patient LSCC samples, comparing patient proteome, transcriptome and genome between early and late T and N samples. We observed significant differences in SNV frequency for various genes between the early and late-stage groups. Most notably we observed that NOTCH1 mutation, which was more frequent in late N-stage supraglottic cancers, was also associated with poorer patient survival in LSCCs. Methylation analysis also revealed changes in JUN gene methylation in late N glottic cancers. Transcriptomic analysis revealed differential expression in c-JUN, HOXB7 and HOXB9 transcript levels, suggesting potential involvement of these pathways in progression and nodal involvement. Our findings illustrate that LSCC undergoes distinct molecular changes associated with different stages and subsites. We observed multiple potential markers for progression, metastases and survival, including NOTCH1 mutation, which may aid as prognostic indicators in future studies.

Current treatments for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma and the move towards molecular therapy

OBJECTIVES

In this review, we discuss oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) treatment options with a focus on the molecular mechanisms of OPSCC in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and head and neck cancers (HNCs). Treatment can be radical intent (aim for cure) or palliative intent (aim for disease control and symptom management). OPSCC is a prominent subset of HNSCCs in Australia and the Western World.

METHOD

We looked at the current conventional treatment options with an overview of recent advances and future endeavours.

KEY FINDINGS

We identified that radiotherapy is the primary management for OPSCC in most countries, including the USA, UK, NZ, and Australia. In contrast, surgery is only considered for superficial OPSCC or neck surgery. If surgery is incomplete, then definitive management still requires radiotherapy.

CONCLUSION

Molecular therapy is largely at the preclinical stage, with cetuximab, nivolumab, pembrolizumab, Lenvatinib, and bevacizumab being tested clinically currently.

Surgical and functional outcomes after salvage oropharyngectomy

OBJECTIVES

Salvage oropharyngeal surgery with free-flap reconstruction after failed radiation therapy (RT) presents unique challenges and complications. The aim of this retrospective review is to examine surgical complications and functional outcomes in patients who received salvage surgery for recurrent or persistent oropharyngeal cancer following RT.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients diagnosed with oropharyngeal cancer and underwent salvage oropharyngectomy at the University of Florida between 2016-2021 were identified from inpatient and outpatient records of the Head and Neck Oncology Team. Outcomes measured were tracheostomy dependence, tube-feed dependence, and intact oral intake status. Survival outcomes using Kaplan-Meier product limit method were calculated.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

Twenty-six patients were included in the analysis. Average age was 63.7 years. Fourteen (53.8 %) oropharyngectomies used a transmandibular approach, ten (38.5 %) through a combined transoral and transcervical approach, and two (7.7 %) through a transcervical approach. Average time to tracheostomy decannulation was 25.1 days. At 6 months, twenty (83.3 %) patients were gastric tube independent with twelve (54.2 %) patients tolerating any oral intake. At 12 months, gastric tube independent feeds decreased to nine (60 %) patients with thirteen (92.9 %) patients tolerating oral intake. The median overall survival was 27 months with local cancer recurrence being the most common cause of death. Patients undergoing salvage oropharyngectomy for recurrent disease continue to face prolonged tracheostomy and tube dependent feedings. Despite intact swallowing function, patients preferred to use gastric tube feedings, likely for speed, ease, and convenience. Further studies are needed to analyze factors influencing these conflicting functional outcomes and predictive factors impacting survival.

Letter to the editor regarding, "Impact of post-operative transoral robotic surgery hemorrhage on adjuvant treatment delays in patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma"

The study finds no significant difference in the timing of radiation therapy initiation between bleeding and non-bleeding cohorts, ensuring that timely adjuvant care is achievable without compromising survival. Feeding tube dependency and dysphagia outcomes are also explored to enhance understanding of post-surgical morbidity and quality of life. With a multi-institutional design, the study strengthens the generalizability of its findings and addresses limitations inherent in retrospective data collection. Future research could use validated patient-reported outcomes to refine swallowing assessments and investigate novel hemostatic techniques as alternatives to transcervical arterial ligation. Additionally, exploring HPV-related prognostic subgroups will provide further clarity on oncological outcomes. This study paves the way for optimizing TORS protocols to improve patient care and long-term survival.

A comparison of timing and patterns of treatment failure, and survival outcomes after progression between HPV+ and HPV- patients undergoing chemoradiation for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas

BACKGROUND

We aimed to analyze and compare the timing and patterns of treatment failure, and survival after progression between HPV-positive (HPV+) and HPV-negative (HPV-) patients undergoing chemoradiation for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (OPSCC).

METHODS

A retrospective review was performed of all patients undergoing primary chemoradiation for OPSCC between 2008 and 2021. Demographic and clinical data were collected. Kaplan-Meier estimates for overall survival (OS), and time to recurrence/metastases (TTR) were compared using the log-rank test, with Cox regression used for multivariable modeling comparing HPV+ and HPV- patients.

RESULTS

HPV- patients developed recurrence or metastases at earlier time points than HPV+ patients (8.8 vs. 15.2 months, p < 0.05), due to earlier local/locoregional recurrence and distant metastases, but not isolated regional recurrences. HPV- distant metastases exclusively occurred in a single organ, most commonly the lungs or bone, while HPV+ metastases frequently had multi-organ involvement in a wide variety of locations (p < 0.05). Once progression (recurrence/metastases) was diagnosed, HPV+ patients experienced superior survival to HPV- patients on univariate and multivariate analysis, largely due to improved outcomes after treatment of local/locoregional recurrences (p < 0.05). There were no differences in survival after isolated regional recurrences or distant metastases.

CONCLUSION

HPV+ OPSCC patients relapse later compared to HPV- patients in local/locoregional and distant sites. HPV+ patients with local/locoregional recurrence experience superior survival after recurrence, which does not hold true for isolated regional recurrences or distant metastases. These data can be useful to inform prognosis and guide treatment decisions in patients with recurrent OPSCC.

Survival and Swallowing Function after Primary Radiotherapy versus Transoral Robotic Surgery for Human Papillomavirus-Associated Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of primary transoral robotic surgery (TORS) versus radiotherapy (RT) on progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and 1-year swallowing function for patients with early-stage HPV-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC).

METHODS

Patients with stage I-II (AJCC 8th Ed.) HPV-associated OPSCC treated with TORS followed by risk-adapted adjuvant therapy or (chemo)radiotherapy between 2014 and 2019 were identified. PFS, OS, and swallowing outcomes including gastrostomy tube (GT) use/dependence, and Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS) change over 1 year were compared.

RESULTS

One hundred sixty-seven patients were analyzed: 116 treated with TORS with or without adjuvant RT and 51 treated with RT (50 chemoRT). The RT group had more advanced tumor/nodal stage, higher comorbidity, and higher rates of concurrent chemotherapy. There were no differences in 3-year PFS (88% TORS vs. 75% RT) or OS (90% vs. 81%) between groups, which persisted after adjusting for stage, age, and comorbidity. GT use/dependence rates were higher in the RT group. Mean (SD) FOIS scores in the TORS group were 6.9 (0.4) at baseline and 6.4 (1.0) at 1 year, compared with 6.7 (0.6) and 5.6 (1.7) for the RT group. Only clinical nodal stage was found to be significantly associated with FOIS change from baseline to 1 year.

CONCLUSION

There were no differences in PFS or OS between patients treated with primary TORS or RT for early-stage HPV-associated OPSCC. Clinical N2 status is associated with FOIS change at 1 year and may be the major factor affecting long-term swallowing function, irrespective of primary treatment modality.

Upfront transoral robotic surgery (TORS) versus intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer: real-world data from a tertiary comprehensive cancer center

Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusions

The effect of human papillomavirus status on prognosis and local treatment strategies of T1-2N0 oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer

Purpose

To explore the effect of human papillomavirus (HPV) status on prognosis and further investigate whether human papillomavirus (HPV) status has an impact on the local treatment strategies for T1-2N0 oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer (OPSCC) patients.

Methods

Patients diagnosed with T1-2N0 OPSCC between 2010 and 2015 were included from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Data were analyzed using propensity score matching (PSM), Chi-square test, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, and Cox multivariable analyses.

Results

A total of 1,004 patients were identified, of whom 595 (59.3%) had HPV-related tumors. Of all the patients, 386 (38.4%) and 618 (61.6%) received definitive radiotherapy and radical surgery, respectively. HPV status had no significant effect on local treatment strategies for early-stage OPSCC (P = 0.817). The 3-year cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) were 89.6 and 80.1%, respectively. Compared to those with HPV-negative diseases, patients with HPV-positive diseases had better CSS and OS. A total of 222 pairs of patients were completely matched after PSM. The results of multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that patients with HPV-positive disease had significantly better CSS (P = 0.001) and OS (P < 0.001) compared to those with HPV-negative tumors. However, local treatment strategy was not associated with survival outcomes after PSM (CSS, P = 0.771; OS, P = 0.440). The subgroup analysis showed comparable CSS and OS between those treated with radical surgery and definitive radiotherapy regardless of HPV status.

Conclusions

HPV status is an independent prognostic factor for the survival of stage T1-2N0 OPSCC patients. Local treatment strategies had no significant effect on the survival of early-stage OPSCC regardless of HPV status. Patients with early-stage OPSCC should be informed regarding the pros and cons of definitive radiotherapy or radical surgery.

Treatment De-intensification for HPV-associated Oropharyngeal Cancer: A Definitive Surgery Paradigm

Human papillomavirus-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HPV+OPSCC) constitutes the majority of head and neck diagnoses within the United States. Patients with HPV+OPSCC have biologically and demographically distinct disease, leading to high cure rates after standard treatments. This long survivorship period coupled with the toxicity of standard treatments makes de-intensification strategies an urgent research question. Surgery has generally been avoided for HPV+OPSCC as historical surgical techniques were invasive and morbid. With the advent of minimally invasive transoral techniques, definitive surgical options are becoming more popular. Minimally invasive surgery offers unique opportunities in a de-intensification paradigm, including more detailed patient selection, radiation volume reduction, and radiation dose de-intensification. Nevertheless, careful patient selection must be exercised as surgical defects may lead to quality of life decrements beyond what is gained through de-intensification. Ongoing phase III efforts will help clarify the patient cohorts best suited for surgically oriented de-intensification.

Advances in Imaging for HPV-Related Oropharyngeal Cancer: Applications to Radiation Oncology

While there has been an overall decline of tobacco and alcohol-related head and neck cancer in recent decades, there has been an increased incidence of HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer (OPC). Recent research studies and clinical trials have revealed that the cancer biology and clinical progression of HPV-positive OPC is unique relative to its HPV-negative counterparts. HPV-positive OPC is associated with higher rates of disease control following definitive treatment when compared to HPV-negative OPC. Thus, these conditions should be considered unique diseases with regards to treatment strategies and survival. In order to sufficiently characterize HPV-positive OPC and guide treatment strategies, there has been a considerable effort to diagnose, prognose, and track the treatment response of HPV-associated OPC through advanced imaging research. Furthermore, HPV-positive OPC patients are prime candidates for radiation de-escalation protocols, which will ideally reduce toxicities associated with radiation therapy and has prompted additional imaging research to detect radiation-induced changes in organs at risk. This manuscript reviews the various imaging modalities and current strategies for tackling these challenges as well as provides commentary on the potential successes and suggested improvements for the optimal treatment of these tumors.