Host Factors Independently Associated With Prognosis in Patients With Oral Cavity Cancer.

Importance: The association and interaction of host characteristics with prognosis in patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) are poorly understood. There is increasing evidence that host characteristics are associated with treatment outcomes of many cancers. Objectives: To examine the host factors associated with prognosis in patients with OSCC and their interactions to create a numerical index that quantifies the prognostic capacity of these host characteristics. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective cohort study included patients with OSCC treated surgically at a tertiary care center from January 1, 1998, to December 31, 2015. From a departmental OSCC database of 1377 previously untreated patients, 68 patients with missing data on any host variable of interest within a month before the start of treatment were excluded, leaving 1309 patients. Data analysis was performed from October 21, 2019, to December 10, 2019. Exposure: Primary surgery for OSCC. Main Outcomes and Measures: Overall survival (OS) was the primary end point, and disease-specific survival (DSS) was the secondary end point. Optimal cutoffs for each variable were identified using recursive-partitioning analysis with the classification and regression tree method using OS as the dependent variable. Body mass index (BMI) and pretreatment peripheral blood leukocyte count, platelet count, hemoglobin level, and albumin level were analyzed. A host index (H-index) was developed using independent factors associated with OS. Results: A total of 1309 patients (731 [55.8%] male; mean [SD] age, 62 [14.3] years) participated in the study. When including all the host-related factors in a multivariable analysis, all except BMI (hazard ratio [HR], 1.14; 95% CI, 0.80-1.63) were independently associated with outcomes. For example, compared with a hemoglobin level of 14.1 g/dL or greater, the HR for a level of 12.9 to 14.0 g/dL was 1.42 (95% CI, 1.13-1.77) and for a level of 12.8 g/dL or less was 1.51 (95% CI, 1.18-1.94), and compared with an albumin level of 4.3 g/dL or greater, the HR for a level of 3.7 to 4.2 g/dL was 1.18 (95% CI, 0.95-1.45) and for a level of 3.6 g/dL or less was 3.64 (95% CI, 2.37-5.58). An H-index of 1.4 or less was associated with a 74% 5-year OS, an H-index of 1.5 to 3.5 with a 65% 5-year OS, and an H-index of 3.6 or higher with a 38% 5-year OS; for DSS, the 5-year survival was 84%, 80%, and 64%, respectively. Compared with patients with an H-index score of 1.4 or less, patients with H-index scores of 1.5 to 3.5 (hazard ratio, 1.474; 95% CI, 1.208-1.798) and 3.6 or higher (hazard ratio, 3.221; 95% CI, 2.557-4.058) had a higher risk of death. Conclusions and Relevance: The findings suggest that pretreatment values of neutrophils, monocytes, lymphocytes, hemoglobin, and albumin are independently associated with prognosis in patients with OSCC. The interactions between these host factors were incorporated into a novel H-index that quantified the prognostic capacity of host characteristics associated with OSCC.

Reconstruction of congenital microtia-atresia: outcomes with the Medpor/bone-anchored hearing aid-approach.

Ideal surgery for congenital microtia-atresia would offer excellent cosmetic and hearing rehabilitation, with minimal morbidity. Classic approaches require multiple procedures, including rib cartilage harvest and aural atresia repair. Our facial plastic and otologic team approach incorporates a high-density porous polyethylene (Medpor, Porex Surgical, Newnan, GA) auricular framework, followed by single-stage bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA) implantation. We evaluated the efficacy, safety, and morbidity of this 2-stage dual system approach. A prospective database of microtia patients was used to identify patients undergoing combined Medpor/BAHA auricular reconstruction and hearing rehabilitation between 2003 and 2006. The first stage involves placement of a Medpor framework beneath a temporoparietal fascia flap, followed by a second-stage procedure for lobule transposition and BAHA implantation. Twenty-five patients (28 ears) were evaluated. Aesthetic quality of the implants was excellent, with a high degree of framework detail visible, and a postauricular crease created in all patients. All patients were satisfied with the cosmetic result. There were no major Medpor complications such as infection, extrusion, loss of implant, or flap necrosis, and a 10.7% incidence of minor complications requiring operative revision. BAHA significantly improved hearing in all patients, with a complication rate of 31.8%, mainly skin overgrowth and cellulitis. The Medpor/BAHA dual plastic-otologic approach to microtia-atresia has produced excellent cosmetic results and hearing outcomes, which compare favorably to traditional microtia-atresia repair. This is a 2-stage aesthetic and functional protocol with an acceptably low rate of complications, which safely and efficiently achieves both aesthetic and functional goals.

Impact of elective neck dissection on the outcome of oral squamous cell carcinomas arising in the maxillary alveolus and hard palate.

BACKGROUND: Whether elective lymph neck dissection (ELND) is associated with improved survival in oral squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) of the maxillary alveolus/hard palate is not known. METHODS: One hundred ninety-nine patients presenting de novo and receiving treatment for clinically node negative SCC of the maxillary alveolus/hard palate at 2 cancer centers between 1985 and 2011 were analyzed. RESULTS: Forty-two patients (21%) received ELND. Occult nodal metastases were present in 29% of the dissected necks. The ELND group had more T3 to T4 status tumors (62% vs 34%; p < .001) and positive-margin resections (59% vs 38%; p = .019). Patients undergoing ELND experienced lower rates of neck recurrence (6% vs 21%; p = .031), superior 5-year recurrence-free survival (68% vs 45%; p = .026), and overall survival (86% vs 62%; p = .043). ELND was associated with a 2-fold decrease in risk of recurrence in multivariable analysis. CONCLUSION: ELND was associated with lower rates of recurrence and improved survival in SCC of the maxillary alveolus/hard palate. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: E1688-E1694, 2016.

Predictors of survival and recurrence after temporal bone resection for cancer.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to identify factors predictive of outcome in patients undergoing temporal bone resection (TBR) for head and neck cancer. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of 72 patients undergoing TBR. Factors associated with survival and recurrence were identified on multivariable regression. RESULTS: Most tumors were epithelial (81%), commonly (69%) involving critical structures. Cervical metastases were uncommon (6%). Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the external auditory canal carried a high rate of parotid invasion (25%) and parotid nodal metastases (43%). The 5-year rate of overall survival (OS) was 62%; disease-specific survival (DSS), 70%; recurrence-free survival (RFS), 46%. Factors independently associated with outcome on multivariable analysis were margin status and extratemporal spread of disease to the parotid, mandible, or regional nodes. Recurrence was common (72%) in cT3-4 tumors. CONCLUSIONS: Margin status and extratemporal disease spread are the strongest independent predictors of survival and recurrence. In SCC of the external auditory canal, high rates of parotid involvement support adjunctive parotidectomy. Risk of recurrence in T3-T4 tumors may support a role for adjuvant therapy.

High rates of regional failure in squamous cell carcinoma of the hard palate and maxillary alveolus.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of neck metastasis in hard palate and maxillary alveolus squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and to identify factors predictive of regional failure. METHODS: In 139 patients treated for SCC of the hard palate and maxillary alveolus (from 1985-2006), the incidence rates of regional metastasis at presentation and at recurrence were calculated. Factors predictive of regional recurrence-free survival were identified on Cox multivariable regression analysis. RESULTS: Regional failure occurred in 28.4% of patients and was significantly associated with pathologic T classification, ranging from 18.7% (pT1) to 37.3% (pT4). T classification was an independent predictor of regional recurrence-free survival (RRFS) on multivariable analysis. Most patients (65.6%) with regional recurrence were not able to be salvaged. CONCLUSION: Patients with T2 to T4 primary tumors of the hard palate and maxillary alveolus exhibited high rates of regional failure. In most cases, successful salvage was not achieved. Elective treatment of the neck with surgery or radiation is therefore recommended.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue in the pediatric age group: a matched-pair analysis of survival.

OBJECTIVE: To compare outcomes of a pediatric cohort of patients compared with a matched cohort of adult patients, all diagnosed as having squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the oral tongue. Outcomes of oral cancer in pediatric patients have not been studied, to our knowledge. DESIGN: Retrospective matched-pair cohort study. SETTING: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York. PATIENTS: A total of 10 pediatric and 40 adult patients diagnosed as having SCC of the oral tongue. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and recurrence-free survival (RFS). RESULTS: The 5-year OS was equivalent in the 2 groups: 70% in the pediatric group and 64% in the adult group (P = .97). The 5-year DSS was also equivalent: 80% in the pediatric group and 76% in the adult group (P = .90). The 5-year RFS was 70% in the pediatric group and 78% in the adult group (P = .54). CONCLUSIONS: When pediatric and adult patients were matched for sex, tobacco use history, TNM status, surgical procedure, and adjuvant radiotherapy, outcomes for OS, DSS, and RFS were equivalent. Pediatric patients with SCC of the oral tongue should be treated similarly to adult patients.