PURPOSE: To investigate the impact of involvement of retropharyngeal lymph nodes on the prognosis of squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The pretreatment computed tomographic scans of 208 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx were reviewed for the presence of metastatic retropharyngeal lymph nodes. All patients were treated at the Leuven department between 1984 and 2003: by radiotherapy alone in 84.1% of patients, by surgery with postoperative radiotherapy in 11.5%, and by concomitant chemoradiotherapy in 4.4%. Retropharyngeal node involvement was present in 34 (16%) patients. The influence on recurrence (local and regional), distant metastasis, and survival was retrospectively analyzed. Median follow-up was 47 months (3.9 years), and results were analyzed for 201 patients. RESULTS: At 5 years, patients with retropharyngeal adenopathy had significantly more regional recurrences (45% vs. 10%, p = 0.004). Involvement of retropharyngeal lymph nodes significantly (relative risk 4.29 [95% confidence interval 3.33-5.25], p = 0.01) and independently predicted regional recurrence in multivariate analysis. Disease-specific survival was significantly lower in the retropharyngeal node positive group (38% vs. 58%, p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Retropharyngeal node involvement has a negative impact on the prognosis of squamous cell cancer of the oropharynx. Patients are particularly at risk for regional recurrence, resulting in worse disease-specific survival. Retropharyngeal node involvement should be taken into account in designing the treatment plan for these patients.
PURPOSE: To investigate the impact of involvement of retropharyngeal lymph nodes on the prognosis of squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The pretreatment computed tomographic scans of 208 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx were reviewed for the presence of metastatic retropharyngeal lymph nodes. All patients were treated at the Leuven department between 1984 and 2003: by radiotherapy alone in 84.1% of patients, by surgery with postoperative radiotherapy in 11.5%, and by concomitant chemoradiotherapy in 4.4%. Retropharyngeal node involvement was present in 34 (16%) patients. The influence on recurrence (local and regional), distant metastasis, and survival was retrospectively analyzed. Median follow-up was 47 months (3.9 years), and results were analyzed for 201 patients. RESULTS: At 5 years, patients with retropharyngeal adenopathy had significantly more regional recurrences (45% vs. 10%, p = 0.004). Involvement of retropharyngeal lymph nodes significantly (relative risk 4.29 [95% confidence interval 3.33-5.25], p = 0.01) and independently predicted regional recurrence in multivariate analysis. Disease-specific survival was significantly lower in the retropharyngeal node positive group (38% vs. 58%, p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Retropharyngeal node involvement has a negative impact on the prognosis of squamous cell cancer of the oropharynx. Patients are particularly at risk for regional recurrence, resulting in worse disease-specific survival. Retropharyngeal node involvement should be taken into account in designing the treatment plan for these patients.
Authors: Stuart E Samuels; Jeffrey Vainshtein; Matthew E Spector; Mohannad Ibrahim; Jonathan B McHugh; Yebin Tao; Matthew Schipper; Francis Worden; Avraham Eisbruch Journal: Radiother Oncol Date: 2015-06-17 Impact factor: 6.280
Authors: G Brandon Gunn; J Matthew Debnam; Clifton D Fuller; William H Morrison; Steven J Frank; Beth M Beadle; Erich M Sturgis; Bonnie S Glisson; Jack Phan; David I Rosenthal; Adam S Garden Journal: Cancer Date: 2013-06-03 Impact factor: 6.860
Authors: Nam P Nguyen; Jacqueline Vock; Vincent Vinh-Hung; Fabio Almeida; Lars Ewell; Michael Betz; Siyoung Jang; Richard A Vo; Suresh Dutta; Juan Godinez; Ulf Karlsson; Alexander Chi Journal: BMC Cancer Date: 2012-06-18 Impact factor: 4.430
Authors: Stuart E Samuels; Avraham Eisbruch; Jonathan J Beitler; June Corry; Carol R Bradford; Nabil F Saba; Michiel W M van den Brekel; Robert Smee; Primož Strojan; Carlos Suárez; William M Mendenhall; Robert P Takes; Juan P Rodrigo; Missak Haigentz; Alexander D Rapidis; Alessandra Rinaldo; Alfio Ferlito Journal: Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol Date: 2015-10-13 Impact factor: 3.236