Hilliary N. White

Transoral Robotic-Assisted Surgery for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: One- and 2-Year Survival Analysis

OBJECTIVE to report 2-year survival outcomes for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma using transoral robotic-assisted resection. DESIGN prospective case study. SETTING two tertiary care centers. PATIENTS eighty-nine patients from 2 tertiary care centers (University of Alabama at Birmingham and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota) with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma of all stages and subsites, who underwent transoral robotic-assisted resection between March 2007 and December 2008, with a median follow-up time of 26 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES disease-free survival, cancer recurrence, and gastrostomy tube dependence RESULTS seventy-one patients had T1 (n = 29) or T2 (n = 42) tumors while 18 patients had T3 (n = 8) or T4 (n = 10) tumors. There were 24 patients with overall stage I or II disease and 65 with stage III or IV disease. At the time of the last follow-up visit (median, 26 months), there had been a total of 11 patients with recurrent cancer: 3 with local; 7, regional (2 of whom also had distant metastases); and 1, distant. Seven patients were treated for recurrent disease. Eighty-two patients had no evidence of disease, 1 patient died of the disease, 2 died of other disease, and 4 were alive with disease at the last follow-up visit. Results of Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the 2-year recurrence-free survival rate for the cohort was 86.5%. None of the patients were gastrostomy tube dependent at the last follow-up visit. CONCLUSION the 2-year functional and oncologic results justify the continued treatment of select patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma with robotic-assisted surgical resection.

Oncologic Outcomes After Transoral Robotic Surgery : A Multi-institutional Study

IMPORTANCE Large patient cohorts are necessary to validate the efficacy of transoral robotic surgery (TORS) in the management of head and neck cancer. OBJECTIVES To review oncologic outcomes of TORS from a large multi-institutional collaboration and to identify predictors of disease recurrence and disease-specific mortality. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A retrospective review of records from 410 patients undergoing TORS for laryngeal and pharyngeal cancers from January 1, 2007, through December 31, 2012, was performed. Pertinent data were obtained from 11 participating medical institutions. INTERVENTIONS Select patients received radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy before or after TORS. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Locoregional control, disease-specific survival, and overall survival were calculated. We used Kaplan-Meier survival analysis with log-rank testing to evaluate individual variable association with these outcomes, followed by multivariate analysis with Cox proportional hazards regression modeling to identify independent predictors. RESULTS Of the 410 patients treated with TORS in this study, 364 (88.8%) had oropharyngeal cancer. Of these 364 patients, information about post-operative adjuvant therapy was known about 338: 106 (31.3) received radiation therapy alone, and 72 (21.3%) received radiation therapy with concurrent chemotherapy. Neck dissection was performed in 323 patients (78.8%). Mean follow-up time was 20 months. Local, regional, and distant recurrence occurred in 18 (4.4%), 15 (3.7%), and 10 (2.4%) of 410 patients, respectively. Seventeen (4.1%) died of disease, and 13 (3.2%) died of other causes. The 2-year locoregional control rate was 91.8% (95% CI, 87.6%-94.7%), disease-specific survival 94.5% (95% CI, 90.6%-96.8%), and overall survival 91% (95% CI, 86.5%-94.0%). Multivariate analysis identified improved survival among women (P = .05) and for patients with tumors arising in tonsil (P = .01). Smoking was associated with worse overall all-cause mortality (P = .01). Although advanced age and tobacco use were associated with locoregional recurrence and disease-specific survival, they, as well as tumor stage and other adverse histopathologic features, did not remain significant on multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This large, multi-institutional study supports the role of TORS within the multidisciplinary treatment paradigm for the treatment of head and neck cancer, especially for patients with oropharyngeal cancer. Favorable oncologic outcomes have been found across institutions. Ongoing comparative clinical trials funded by the National Cancer Institute will further evaluate the role of robotic surgery for patients with head and neck cancers.

Salvage Surgery for Recurrent Cancers of the Oropharynx Comparing TORS With Standard Open Surgical Approaches

IMPORTANCE Surgical salvage may be the only viable treatment option for recurrent tumors of the oropharynx. To our knowledge, there have been no published reports directly comparing the oncologic and functional outcomes of patients with recurrent oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) treated with transoral robotic-assisted surgery (TORS) with those treated with traditional open surgical approaches. OBJECTIVE To compare the oncologic and functional outcomes of patients with recurrent oropharyngeal SCC treated with TORS with those treated with traditional open surgical approaches. DESIGN Retrospective multi-institutional case-control study; study dates, March 2003 through October 2011. SETTING Four tertiary care institutions (University of Alabama at Birmingham; M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas; Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota; and Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan). PARTICIPANTS Sixty-four patients who underwent salvage TORS for recurrent oropharyngeal SCC were matched by TNM stage to 64 patients who underwent open salvage resection. INTERVENTION OR EXPOSURE: Salvage TORS for recurrent SCC of the oropharynx. MAIN OUTCOME AND MEASURES Patient demographics, operative data, functional, and oncologic outcomes were recorded and compared with a similarly TNM-matched patient group that underwent salvage surgical resection by traditional open surgical approaches. RESULTS Patients treated with TORS were found to have a significantly lower incidence of tracheostomy use (n = 14 vs n = 50; P < .001), feeding tube use (n = 23 vs n = 48; P < .001), shorter overall hospital stays (3.8 days vs 8.0 days; P < .001), decreased operative time (111 minutes vs 350 minutes; P < .001), less blood loss (49 mL vs 331 mL; P < .001), and significantly decreased incidence of positive margins (n = 6 vs n = 19; P = .007). The 2-year recurrence-free survival rate was significantly higher in the TORS group than in the open approach group (74% and 43%, respectively) (P = .01). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This study demonstrates that TORS offers an alternative surgical approach to recurrent tumors of the oropharynx with acceptable oncologic outcomes and better functional outcomes than traditional open surgical approaches. This adds to the growing amount of clinical evidence to support the use of TORS in selected patients with recurrent oropharyngeal SCC as a feasible and oncologically sound method of treatment.

Assessment and incidence of salivary leak following laryngectomy.

To determine the incidence and risk factors of pharyngocutaneous fistula formation in patients undergoing either primary or salvage laryngectomies and evaluate the role of barium esophagram in these patients.

Learning Curve for Transoral Robotic Surgery A 4-Year Analysis

IMPORTANCE As new institutions incorporate transoral robotic surgery (TORS) into their everyday practice, it is helpful to have a timeline reference of expected goals to follow as their experience increases. This article evaluates a single tertiary care academic institutions experience with TORS for head and neck tumors and reports its 4-year learning curve. OBJECTIVE To evaluate a single institutions experience with TORS over a 4-year period and report treatment trends and clinical outcomes. DESIGN Prospective case study. SETTING A single tertiary care academic institution. PARTICIPANTS A total of 168 patients underwent TORS for tumors of the head and neck at University of Alabama at Birmingham between March 2007 and September 2011. The total group was subdivided into 4 consecutive groups (42 patients each). Patients were monitored throughout their hospital stay and up to 4.5 years postoperatively (mean follow-up duration, 14 months). INTERVENTION Transoral robotic surgery. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Data points were collected and compared over time, including feasibility, operative time, tumor type, stage, subsite, length of intubation, need for tracheostomy, feeding tube use, hospital stay, margin status, neck dissection performed, and postoperative complications. RESULTS Significant decreases in operative time, length of intubation, and hospital stay were seen as TORS experience increased. Overall, the mean operative time decreased by 47% (group 4, 86 minutes; group 1, 183 minutes). Total mean intubation time decreased by 87% (group 1, 12.9 hours; group 4, 1.7 hours) and mean hospital stay decreased from 3.0 days to 1.4 days. There was not a significant difference between groups in number of cases unable to be performed robotically (7-9 per group), tumor stage (majority T1/T2), tumor subsite (majority oropharynx), positive margin status (2-5 per group), number of salvage cases performed (7-9 per group), and number of tracheostomies (2-4 per group) or feeding tubes (22-25 per group) required. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This is the first multiyear prospective study to document a single institutions TORS experience over time and demonstrate particular areas of expected improvement as case number increases.

Hemorrhage after transoral robotic-assisted surgery.

Objective An increasing number of head and neck surgeons have begun using transoral robotic-assisted surgery. Our objective was to examine the postoperative bleeding complications we have encountered to determine risk factors and to discuss the topic of hemorrhage control. Study Design Case series with chart review. Methods Medical records were reviewed in 147 consecutive patients undergoing transoral robotic-assisted surgery for any indication at one tertiary academic medical center between March 2007 and September 2011. Results Eleven of 147 (7.5%) patients undergoing transoral robotic-assisted surgery experienced some degree of postoperative hemorrhage, with 9 patients requiring reoperation for examination and/or control of bleeding. Bleeding occurred at a mean of 11.1 ± 9.2 days after initial operation. Eight of 11 (72%) patients who bled were on antithrombotic medication (anticoagulants or antiplatelet agents) for other medical comorbidities. The postoperative hemorrhage rate in patients taking antithrombotic medication (8/48 patients = 17%) was significantly higher than in those not taking antithrombotics (3/99 patients = 3%), P = .0057. While the bleeding rate in salvage surgery (3/29 = 10.3%) was slightly higher than in primary surgery (8/118 = 6.8%), this difference did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion Potential for postoperative bleeding in association with antithrombotic medications in patients undergoing transoral robotic-assisted surgery should be recognized. Various effective techniques for management of these patients without robotic assistance were demonstrated.

Incidence and Outcomes of Stricture Formation Postlaryngectomy

Objective. Postlaryngectomy stricture formation and dysphagia negatively affect quality of life and result in nutritional compromise. Understanding risk factors and successful treatment strategies may improve treatment outcomes. Study Design. Historical cohort study. Setting. Tertiary care medical center. Subjects and Methods. Patients at a tertiary care center who underwent a total laryngectomy between 2003 and 2009 (N = 263) were evaluated in a retrospective manner. Patient demographics, comorbidities, tobacco and alcohol usage, dietary outcomes, feeding tube dependence, and treatment modalities were assessed. Management strategies and outcomes were evaluated. Results. Strictures developed in 19% (n = 49) of patients, and the majority (82%) occurred in the first year. Incidences of stricture formation were similar for primary (19%) and salvage laryngectomy (19%) patients. Patients undergoing salvage laryngectomy were 2 times more likely to be reconstructed with a free flap, whereas those undergoing a primary laryngectomy were 3 times more likely to be closed primarily. Tubed flap reconstruction significantly increased the incidence of stricture formation compared to primary closure (P = .02) in salvage laryngectomy cases. In primary laryngectomy patients, stricture formation did not correlate with flap reconstruction (P = .34) or adjuvant radiation therapy (P = .79). Patients who required a single dilation had better dietary outcomes compared to patients who required serial dilations (P = .14). There was no difference in overall disease-free survival in primary vs salvage laryngectomy patients (P = .95). Conclusion. Rates of stricture formation were the same in patients undergoing salvage compared to primary total laryngectomy.

Outcomes Following Temporal Bone Resection

To evaluate survival outcomes in patients undergoing temporal bone resection.

Negative Pressure Wound Therapy in Head and Neck Surgery

IMPORTANCE Negative pressure wound therapy has been shown to accelerate healing. There is a paucity of literature reporting its use as a tool to promote wound healing in head and neck reconstruction. OBJECTIVE To review 1 institutions experience with negative pressure dressings to further describe the indications, safety, and efficacy of this technique in the head and neck. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Retrospective case series at a tertiary care academic hospital. One hundred fifteen patients had negative pressure dressings applied between April 2005 and December 2011. Data were gathered, including indications, details of negative pressure dressing use, adverse events, wound healing results, potential risk factors for compromised wound healing (defined as previous radiation therapy, hypothyroidism, or diabetes mellitus), and wound characteristics (complex wounds included those with salivary contamination, bone exposure, great vessel exposure, in the field of previous microvascular free tissue transfer, or in the case of peristomal application in laryngectomy). EXPOSURE Negative pressure wound therapy utilized after head and neck reconstruction. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Indications for therapy, length and number of dressing applications, identification of wound healing risk factors, classification of wound complexity, wound healing results, and adverse events related to the use of the device. RESULTS Negative pressure wound therapy was used primarily for wounds of the neck (94 of 115 patients [81.7%]) in addition to other head and neck locations (14 of 115 patients [12.2%]), and free tissue transfer donor sites (7 of 115 patients [6.1%]). The mean (SD) wound size was 5.6 (5.0) cm. The mean number of negative pressure dressing applications was 1.7 (1.2), with an application length of 3.7 (1.4) days. Potential risk factors for compromised wound healing were present in 82 of 115 patients (71.3%). Ninety-one of 115 patients (79.1%) had complex wounds. Negative pressure dressings were used in wounds with salivary contamination (n = 64), bone exposure (n = 40), great vessel exposure (n = 25), previous free tissue transfer (n = 55), and peristomal application after laryngectomy (n = 32). Adverse events occurred in 4 of 115 patients (3.5%). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Negative pressure wound therapy in head and neck surgery is safe and has potential to be a useful tool for complex wounds in patients with a compromised ability to heal. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 4.

Intraluminal Negative Pressure Wound Therapy for Optimizing Pharyngeal Reconstruction

IMPORTANCE Pharyngocutaneous fistula formation after pharyngeal reconstruction is one of the most common and challenging problems to manage. Despite many advances in management, the published success rates indicate a role for any adjuvant therapy that could potentially decrease this complication. OBJECTIVE To describe the use of intraluminal negative pressure dressings (NPDs) in pharyngeal reconstruction. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Retrospective case series at a tertiary care academic hospital. Twelve laryngectomy patients underwent pharyngeal reconstruction augmented by placement of an intrapharyngeal NPD in combination with the introduction of vascularized tissue from August 2011 to May 2012. All patients had potential risk factors for compromised wound healing defined as previous radiation therapy, hypothyroidism, diabetes mellitus, compromised nutrition, or established pharyngocutaneous fistula. INTERVENTIONS An NPD was placed in an intraluminal position spanning the length of the pharyngeal defect as part of the reconstructive procedure. The negative pressure sponge was attached to a standard nasogastric tube to which negative pressure was applied. External closure of the pharynx was then achieved with regional or free tissue transfer. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Pharyngeal closure rates, timing until return to oral diet, identification of wound healing risk factors, and adverse events related to use of the device. RESULTS Eleven of 12 patients (92%) achieved pharyngeal closure with reconstruction using negative pressure wound therapy. All patients had at least 1 potential risk factor for compromised wound healing, with 11 of 12 (92%) having 2 or more. Seven patients had an established pharyngocutaneous fistula, and 5 patients underwent primary reconstruction after laryngopharyngectomy. In 6 of these 7 patients undergoing fistula repair, pharyngeal closure was achieved, and they resumed an oral diet at 1 week postoperatively. The other had successful leak repair initially, but 1 week later developed a separate area of wound breakdown and a second fistula. All 5 patients in whom an intraluminal NPD was placed at the time of initial vacularized tissue reconstruction were able to resume an oral diet by 3 weeks postoperatively, with 3 of them eating by mouth at 1 week postoperatively. No serious adverse events could be attributed to the use of intraluminal NPDs. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Intraluminal negative pressure wound therapy is feasible and safe. Future research should be conducted to determine its potential in optimizing pharyngeal reconstruction in high-risk patients.