BACKGROUND: For patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) undergoing surgery followed by postoperative radiotherapy (PORT), time from surgery to completion of adjuvant therapy, "package time" impacts locoregional control (LRC). However, the significance of package time in HPV+ oropharyngeal SCC (OPSCC) is unknown. METHODS: We examined patients undergoing TORS resection with PORT for HPV+ OPSCC from January 2010 to December 2015 with ≥18 months follow-up (n = 267). A cutoff of 15 weeks was used to delineate patients into short and long package time groups. LRC loss was defined as any recurrence after surgery. RESULTS: Prolonged package time >15 weeks was associated with inferior LRC in this HPV+ OPSCC cohort, driven primarily by interval from surgery to PORT initiation. Multivariate analysis showed that package time and T classification are both independently associated with LRC. CONCLUSIONS: Among HPV+ OPSCC, prolongation of package time appears to compromise LRC, but not survival.
BACKGROUND: For patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) undergoing surgery followed by postoperative radiotherapy (PORT), time from surgery to completion of adjuvant therapy, "package time" impacts locoregional control (LRC). However, the significance of package time in HPV+ oropharyngeal SCC (OPSCC) is unknown. METHODS: We examined patients undergoing TORS resection with PORT for HPV+ OPSCC from January 2010 to December 2015 with ≥18 months follow-up (n = 267). A cutoff of 15 weeks was used to delineate patients into short and long package time groups. LRC loss was defined as any recurrence after surgery. RESULTS: Prolonged package time >15 weeks was associated with inferior LRC in this HPV+ OPSCC cohort, driven primarily by interval from surgery to PORT initiation. Multivariate analysis showed that package time and T classification are both independently associated with LRC. CONCLUSIONS: Among HPV+ OPSCC, prolongation of package time appears to compromise LRC, but not survival.
Authors: Dylan A Levy; Hong Li; Katherine R Sterba; Chanita Hughes-Halbert; Graham W Warren; Brian Nussenbaum; Anthony J Alberg; Terry A Day; Evan M Graboyes Journal: JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg Date: 2020-05-01 Impact factor: 6.223