Transoral laser microsurgery for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma: A paradigm shift in therapeutic approach.

BACKGROUND: The contemporary treatment of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is an area of debate. We report outcomes of a minimally invasive approach involving transoral laser microsurgery (TLM). METHODS: A consecutive series of patients (n = 153) undergoing primary TLM for oropharyngeal SCC from 2006 to 2013 was studied. Human papillomavirus (HPV) status was determined by p16 immunohistochemistry and high-risk HPV DNA in situ hybridization. Survival analyses were evaluated using Kaplan-Meier statistics. RESULTS: Tumor subsites included tonsil (n = 94; 61.5%), tongue base (n = 38; 24.8%), and soft palate (n = 21; 13.7%), with the majority being American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage III/IVa (n = 124; 81.0%) and HPV-positive (n = 101; 66.0%). Three-year overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and disease-free survival (DFS) were 84.5%, 91.7%, and 78.2%, respectively. HPV-positivity portended favorable oncologic outcomes. One-year gastrostomy tube (G-tube) dependency was 1.3%. CONCLUSION: To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest single-center TLM oropharyngeal SCC series to date. Our data suggest that TLM +/- postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) results in at least as good oncologic outcomes as chemoradiotherapy (CRT), while conferring swallowing function advantages. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck , 2016 © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38:1263-1270, 2016.

Accuracy of MRI in prediction of tumour thickness and nodal stage in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

We aim to compare radiological with histological tumour thickness (RTT with HTT) for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), and the ability of both to predict cervical metastasis. The MRI images and histopathology reports of 102 consecutive OSCC cases were compared and the relationship between RTT and HTT, calculated as a "shrinkage factor" by the gradient of the best fitting regression line. Most (69%) tumours appeared thicker on MRI than was revealed by histopathology. Shrinkage factor was 0.70 (interquartile range 0.63-0.77, correlation co-efficient 0.63) for all cases, 0.87 (IQR 0.80-0.95, CC 0.88) for tongue and 0.65 (IQR 0.49-0.82, CC 0.45) for floor of mouth sub-sites. RTT did not correlate well with the presence of nodal metastases in any sub-site, i.e. there was no clinically applicable cut-off value of RTT to determine the prescription of elective neck dissection. Although RTT has some predictable relationship with HTT, this varies between sub-sites with tongue the most accurately predicted shrinkage using axial MRI. It is not possible from either the MRI staging of neck or tumour thickness to safely determine the need for neck dissection in OSCC. It is necessary to re-evaluate the benefit of MRI as a staging investigation (particularly for early stage OSCC) and further explore the contribution of molecular biomarkers and ultrasound.

Extracapsular spread in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Extracapsular spread (ECS) in the cervical lymph nodes represents the most significant adverse prognostic indicator in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). METHODS: In a consecutive cohort of OSCC treated by primary surgery, ECS was seen in 25% (101) of 400 patients. RESULTS: ECS doubled the incidence of local recurrence and distant metastases, but tripled regional failure. The recurrences occurred sooner in ECS than in non-ECS cases (206 vs 334 days, p = .04). Patients with macroscopic ECS had a 5-year overall survival (OS) of 19% compared with 31% in microscopic ECS. MRI neck staging offered poor sensitivity, especially in microscopic ECS. Age >75 years, smoking, and heavy use of alcohol were independent predictors of ECS, which may implicate a failure of immunosurveillance by the host as much as adverse biology of the tumor. CONCLUSIONS: Reporting of ECS is essential in accurate prognostication, and we advocate that all patients with OSCC and ECS should be grouped as pN3 on the basis of their prognosis. (c) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2010.

Detection of synchronous lung tumors in patients presenting with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

BACKGROUND: Screening for synchronous pulmonary tumors in patients presenting with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) is important, because detection may alter subsequent management. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review, comparing effectiveness of pulmonary screening using thoracic CT or chest X-ray, in 1882 patients presenting with SCCHN. RESULTS: The overall rate of synchronous pulmonary tumors was 4.3%. The number needed to scan, ie, the number of thoracic CTs required to detect 1 pulmonary tumor, is reported for recurrent primary tumors, primary disease load (T and N classification), and individual primary sites. The incidence of pulmonary metastases is related to locoregional disease load while the incidence of bronchogenic carcinoma is sporadic. CONCLUSION: Although it is possible to propose a pragmatic screening protocol for pulmonary metastases, this is not possible for bronchogenic carcinomas. Therefore, we recommend that thoracic CT is used in all cases to screen for coexistent pulmonary pathology.