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Postop Radiotherapy’s Impact on Certain Oral Cancers
JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg; 2016 Dec; Chen, et al
Postoperative radiotherapy may improve survival in people with pN1 oral cavity (OC) and oropharyngeal (OP) squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), according to a retrospective cohort study involving nearly 2,300 individuals. This was also the case in patients with pT2 disease, and especially true in those <70 years of age.
Participants had OC (n=1,467) or OP (n=790) SCC with pT1N1 or pT2N1 disease. Investigators looked at overall survival rates. Among the results:
- ~Half of OC SCC patients received postop radiotherapy; 6 in every 10 OP SCC patients received such.
- After controlling for certain variables, OC SCC patients who received postop radiotherapy saw their survival odds improve by 24%.
- Survival odds improved by 38% in those with OP SCC with pN1 disease without adverse features.
- The association persisted in patients <70 years of age, as well as those with pT2 disease.
- Overall survival did not improve in patients ≥70 years of age, nor did it in those with pT1 disease.
Chen M, Harris J, Hara W, Sirjani D, Divi V. Association of postoperative radiotherapy with survival in patients with n1 oral cavity and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2016;142(12):1224-1230. doi:10.1001/jamaoto.2016.3519.