Cost-effectiveness analysis comparing in-office posterior nasal nerve ablation to surgical therapies.

BACKGROUND: Recently, in-office posterior nasal nerve ablation (PNA) devices have offered a new tool to treat refractory chronic rhinitis, but their cost-effectiveness relative to traditional interventions such as vidian neurectomy (VN) and posterior nasal neurectomy (PNN) remains unexplored. OBJECTIVE: To compare the cost-effectiveness of these interventions in patients with refractory chronic rhinitis. METHODS: A decision tree with embedded Markov models was created to compare the cost-effectiveness of PNN, VN, and PNA, measured in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) over a 30-year time horizon with a $100,000/QALY willingness-to-pay threshold. One- and two-way sensitivity analyses were completed. RESULTS: Sensitivity analysis found that in-office PNA became cost-effective compared to VN when patients undergoing PNA were less than 20 % more likely than VN to have symptoms recur; this value was assumed to be twice as likely in the base case. In the base case, however, VN and in-office PNA were more effective and less expensive than PNN, while VN was cost-effective when compared to in-office PNA (incremental cost-effectiveness ratio $11,616.24/QALY). Other assumptions were not found to considerably impact incremental cost-effectiveness. CONCLUSION: Although highly limited by currently available data, PNA may be cost-effective compared to VN as long-term outcomes on the durability of its effects emerge. These data should not be used by payers considering coverage or utilization since long-term data is still nascent. However, that as new technologies emerge for rhinitis, it will be important to monitor longer-term outcomes to identify high value care, but based on limited data PNA devices may meet this standard.

Timing, number, and type of sexual partners associated with risk of oropharyngeal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Case-control studies from the early 2000s demonstrated that human papillomavirus-related oropharyngeal cancer (HPV-OPC) is a distinct entity associated with number of oral sex partners. Using contemporary data, we investigated novel risk factors (sexual debut behaviors, exposure intensity, and relationship dynamics) and serological markers on odds of HPV-OPC. METHODS: HPV-OPC patients and frequency-matched controls were enrolled in a multicenter study from 2013 to 2018. Participants completed a behavioral survey. Characteristics were compared using a chi-square test for categorical variables and a t test for continuous variables. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) were calculated using logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 163 HPV-OPC patients and 345 controls were included. Lifetime number of oral sex partners was associated with significantly increased odds of HPV-OPC (>10 partners: odds ratio [OR], 4.3 [95% CI, 2.8-6.7]). After adjustment for number of oral sex partners and smoking, younger age at first oral sex (<18 vs >20 years: aOR, 1.8 [95% CI, 1.1-3.2]) and oral sex intensity (>5 sex-years: aOR, 2.8 [95% CI, 1.1-7.5]) remained associated with significantly increased odds of HPV-OPC. Type of sexual partner such as older partners when a case was younger (OR, 1.7 [95% CI, 1.1-2.6]) or having a partner who had extramarital sex (OR, 1.6 [95% CI, 1.1-2.4]) was associated with HPV-OPC. Seropositivity for antibodies to HPV16 E6 (OR, 286 [95% CI, 122-670]) and any HPV16 E protein (E1, E2, E6, E7; OR, 163 [95% CI, 70-378]) was associated with increased odds of HPV-OPC. CONCLUSION: Number of oral sex partners remains a strong risk factor for HPV-OPC; however, timing and intensity of oral sex are novel independent risk factors. These behaviors suggest additional nuances of how and why some individuals develop HPV-OPC.

Priorities, concerns, and regret among patients with head and neck cancer.

BACKGROUND: In the era of deintensification, little data are available regarding patients' treatment preferences. The current study evaluated treatment-related priorities, concerns, and regret among patients with head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC). METHODS: A total of 150 patients with HNSCC ranked the importance of 10 nononcologic treatment goals relative to the oncologic goals of cure and survival. The level of concern regarding 11 issues and decision regret was recorded. Median rank was reported overall, and factors associated with odds of rank as a top 3 priority were modeled using logistic regression. RESULTS: Among the treatment effects analyzed, the odds of being a top 3 priority was especially high for cure (odds, 9.17; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 5.05-16.63), followed by survival and swallow (odds, 1.26 [95% CI, 0.88-1.80] and odds, 0.85 [95% CI, 0.59-1.21], respectively). Prioritization of cure, survival, and swallow was similar based on human papillomavirus (HPV) tumor status. By increasing decade of age, older participants were found to be significantly less likely than younger individuals to prioritize survival (odds ratio, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.52-1.00). Concerns regarding mortality (P = .04) and transmission of HPV to the patient's spouse (P = .03) were more frequent among participants with HPV-associated HNSCC. Regret increased with additional treatment modalities (P = .02). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with HNSCC overwhelming prioritize cure, followed by survival and swallow. The decreased prioritization of survival by older age supports further examination of treatment preference by age. The precedence of oncologic over nononcologic priorities among patients regardless of HPV tumor status supports the conservative adoption of deintensification regimens until the interplay between competing oncologic and nononcologic treatment goals is better understood.

Increasing prevalence of human papillomavirus-positive oropharyngeal cancers among older adults.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) is increasing among older adults. It is unknown whether these trends can be explained by human papillomavirus (HPV) and whether HPV-related tumors remain associated with an improved prognosis among older patients. METHODS: In a retrospective study of OPSCCs diagnosed from 1995 to 2013 at 2 National Comprehensive Cancer Network-designated cancer centers, p16 immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization (ISH) for HPV-16, high-risk DNA, and/or E6/E7 RNA were performed. The median age at diagnosis was compared by p16 and ISH tumor status. Trends in age were analyzed with nonparametric trends. Survival was analyzed with the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS: Among 239 patients, 144 (60%) were p16-positive. During 1998-2013, the median age increased among p16-positive patients (Ptrend = .01) but not among p16-negative patients (Ptrend = .71). The median age of p16-positive patients increased from 53 years (interquartile range [IQR] in 1995-2000, 45-65 years) to 58 years (IQR for 2001-2013, 53-64 years). Among patients ≥ 65 years old, the proportion of OPSCCs that were p16-positive increased from 41% during 1995-2000 to 75% during 2007-2013 (Ptrend = .04). Among all age groups, including older patients, a p16-positive tumor status conferred improved overall survival in comparison with a p16-negative status. CONCLUSIONS: The median age at diagnosis for HPV-related OPSCC is increasing as the proportion of OPSCCs caused by HPV rises among older adults. The favorable survival conferred by an HPV-positive tumor status persists in older adults. Cancer 2018;124:2993-9. © 2018 American Cancer Society.

Evaluation of proposed staging systems for human papillomavirus-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Patients with human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) have improved survival when compared with those with HPV-negative OPC. Unfortunately, the American Joint Committee on Cancer seventh edition (AJCC-7ed) staging system does not account for the prognostic advantage observed with HPV-positive OPC. The purpose of the current study was to validate and compare 2 recently proposed staging systems for HPV-positive OPC. METHODS: Patients treated for HPV-positive OPC from 2005 to 2015 at Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) were included for analysis. The International Collaboration on Oropharyngeal cancer Network for Staging (ICON-S) and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC) staging systems were applied and survival was calculated using Kaplan-Meier methods. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to determine the relationship between stage of disease and survival. Models were compared using the Akaike information criterion (AIC). RESULTS: A total of 435 patients were eligible for analysis. There was a dramatic shift in lymph node category and overall stage of disease when ICON-S and MDACC stage were applied to the JHH cohort. There was superior stratification of overall survival and progression-free survival by ICON-S stage. Both proposed models had an improved fit based on AIC scores (P<.001 for both) over the AJCC-7ed. The ICON-S staging system had the lowest AIC score, and thus a better fit within the JHH population. CONCLUSIONS: The current analysis provides external validation for both staging systems in an independent and heterogeneously treated patient population. Although the MDACC staging system is an improvement over the AJCC-7ed, the ICON-S stage provides superior stratification of overall and progression-free survival, thereby supporting its use as the updated AJCC staging system for OPC. Cancer 2017;123:1768-1777. © 2017 American Cancer Society.

One-Year Swallowing Outcomes in Patients Treated with Prophylactic Gabapentin During Radiation-Based Treatment for Oropharyngeal Cancer.

Recent investigations by our study team have demonstrated patients using gabapentin for pain management during chemoradiotherapy (CRT) do well maintaining swallowing during treatment with less need for narcotic pain medication, PEG dependence, weight loss, and short-term swallowing morbidity. The purpose of this investigation was to characterize the long-term swallowing function of these patients 1-year following treatment. Sequential patients receiving CRT for oropharyngeal cancer and concurrent gabapentin were evaluated 1-year following treatment for swallowing outcomes. Functional Oral Intake Scores (FOIS) were utilized to assess diet level. The MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI) was chosen to evaluate patient perception of swallowing function. Videofluoroscopic swallowing studies were completed approximately 1 year after treatment to assess physiologic outcomes as well as Penetration Aspiration Scores (PAS). Data from 26 consecutive participants were available for analysis. The majority of patients had advanced stage disease (Stage 3-4). No patients had a PEG tube 1-year following treatment, and the mean FOIS score was 6.83. Pharyngeal deficits were infrequent with reduced pharyngeal constriction and prominence/early closure of cricopharyngeus predominating. Mean PAS score was 1.5, indicating that the majority of patients had either no laryngeal penetration/aspiration, or transient penetration that was fully cleared. Mean MDADI score was 85.52, indicating that, in general, patients perceived their swallowing to be minimally impaired. Patients receiving gabapentin pain management as part of a comprehensive dysphagia prevention protocol during CRT have excellent long-term swallowing outcomes as reflected in diet levels, physiologic functioning, and patient-perceived quality of life.

Predictive Factors for Prophylactic Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (PEG) Tube Placement and Use in Head and Neck Patients Following Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) Treatment: Concordance, Discrepancies, and the Role of Gabapentin.

The prophylactic placement of a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube in the head and neck cancer (HNC) patient is controversial. We sought to identify factors associated with prophylactic PEG placement and actual PEG use. Since 2010, data regarding PEG placement and use were prospectively recorded in a departmental database from January 2010 to December 2012. HNC patients treated with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) were retrospectively evaluated from 2010 to 2012. Variables potentially associated with patient post-radiation dysphagia from previous literature, and our experience was evaluated. We performed multivariate logistic regression on these variables with PEG placement and PEG use, respectively, to compare the difference of association between the two arms. We identified 192 HNC patients treated with IMRT. Prophylactic PEG placement occurred in 121 (63.0 %) patients, with PEG use in 97 (80.2 %) patients. PEG placement was associated with male gender (p < .01), N stage ≥ N2 (p < .05), pretreatment swallowing difficulties (p < .01), concurrent chemotherapy (p < .01), pretreatment KPS ≥80 (p = .01), and previous surgery (p = .02). Concurrent chemotherapy (p = .03) was positively associated with the use of PEG feeding by the patient, whereas pretreatment KPS ≥80 (p = .03) and prophylactic gabapentin use (p < .01) were negatively associated with PEG use. The analysis suggests there were discrepancies between prophylactic PEG tube placement and actual use. Favorable pretreatment KPS, no pretreatment dysphagia, no concurrent chemotherapy, and the use of gabapentin were significantly associated with reduced PEG use. This analysis may help refine the indications for prophylactic PEG placement.

Surgical salvage improves overall survival for patients with HPV-positive and HPV-negative recurrent locoregional and distant metastatic oropharyngeal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Human papillomavirus (HPV) tumor status and surgical salvage are associated with improved prognosis for patients with recurrent oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). Current data regarding types of surgery and the impact of surgery for patients with distant metastatic disease are limited. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patients with recurrent OPSCC from 2 institutions between 2000 and 2012 was performed. p16 immunohistochemistry and/or in situ hybridization, as clinically available, were used to determine HPV tumor status. Clinical characteristics, distribution of recurrence site, and treatment modalities were compared by HPV tumor status. Overall survival (OS) was examined using Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards methods. RESULTS: The current study included 108 patients with 65 locoregional and 43 distant metastatic first recurrences. The majority of patients were HPV-positive (80 patients). HPV-positive tumor status was associated with longer time to disease recurrence (P<.01). Anatomic site distribution of disease recurrences did not differ by HPV tumor status. HPV-positive tumor status (adjusted HR [aHR], 0.23; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.09-0.58 [P = .002]), longer time to disease recurrence (≥ 1 year; aHR, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.18-0.74 [P = .006]), and surgical salvage (aHR, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.12-0.61 [P = .002]) were found to be independently associated with OS after disease recurrence. Surgical salvage was independently associated with improved OS compared with nonsurgical treatment among patients with both locoregional (aHR, 0.15; 95% CI, 0.04-0.56 [P = .005]) and distant (aHR, 0.19; 95% CI, 0.05-0.75 [P = .018]) metastatic disease recurrences. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical salvage was found to be associated with improved OS for patients with recurrent locoregional and distant metastatic OPSCC, independent of HPV tumor status. Further prospective data are needed to confirm the role of surgical salvage for distant metastases.