L. Tong

Refining American Joint Committee on Cancer/Union for International Cancer Control TNM Stage and Prognostic Groups for Human Papillomavirus–Related Oropharyngeal Carcinomas

PURPOSE To refine stage and prognostic group for human papillomavirus (HPV) -related nonmetastatic (M0) oropharyngeal cancer (OPC). METHODS All patients with nonmetastatic (M0) p16-confirmed OPC treated with radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy from 2000 to 2010 were included. Overall survival (OS) was compared among TNM stages for patients with HPV-related and HPV-unrelated OPC separately. For HPV-related OPC, recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) derived new RPA stages objectively. Cox regression was used to calculate adjusted hazard ratios (AHRs) to derive AHR stages. The performance of survival prediction of RPA stage and AHR stage was assessed against the current seventh edition TNM stages. Prognostic groups were derived by RPA, combining RPA stage and nonanatomic factors. RESULTS The cohort comprised 573 patients with HPV-related OPC and 237 patients with HPV-unrelated OPC, with a median follow-up of 5.1 years. Lower 5-year OS with higher TNM stage was evident for patients with HPV-unrelated OPC (stage I, II, III, and IV 5-year OS: 70%, 58%, 50%, and 30%, respectively; P = .004) but not for patients with HPV-related OPC (stage I, II, III, and IV 5-year OS: 88%, 78%, 71%, and 74%, respectively; P = .56). RPA divided HPV-related OPC into RPA-I (T1-3N0-2b), RPA-II (T1-3N2c), and RPA-III (T4 or N3; 5-year OS: 82%, 76%, and 54%, respectively; P < .001). AHR also yielded a valid classification, but RPA stage demonstrated better survival prediction. A further RPA (including RPA stage, age, and smoking pack-years [PYs]) derived the following four valid prognostic groups for survival: group I (T1-3N0-N2c_≤ 20 PY), group II (T1-3N0-N2c_> 20 PY), group III (T4 or N3_age ≤ 70), and group IVA (T4 or N3_age > 70; 5-year OS: 89%, 64%, 57%, and 40%, respectively; P < .001). CONCLUSION An RPA-based TNM stage grouping (stage I/II/III: T1-3N0-N2b/T1-3N2c/T4 or N3, with M1 as stage IV) is proposed for HPV-related OPC as a result of significantly improved survival prediction compared with the seventh edition TNM, and prognostication is further improved by an RPA-based prognostic grouping within the American Joint Committee on Cancer/Union for International Cancer Control TNM framework for HPV-related OPC.

Prognostic value of pretreatment circulating neutrophils, monocytes, and lymphocytes in oropharyngeal cancer stratified by human papillomavirus status.

The objective of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of the pretreatment circulating neutrophil count (CNC), circulating monocyte count (CMC), and circulating lymphocyte count (CLC) in human papillomavirus (HPV)–related (HPV+) and HPV‐unrelated (HPV–) oropharyngeal cancer (OPC).

Morphologic and topographic radiologic features of human papillomavirus‐related and –unrelated oropharyngeal carcinoma

The purpose of this study was to compare the clinicoradiologic characteristics of human papillomavirus (HPV)‐related (HPV‐positive) and HPV‐unrelated (HPV‐negative) oropharyngeal carcinoma (OPC).

Radiologic-Pathologic Correlation of Extranodal Extension in Patients With Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Oral Cavity: Implications for Future Editions of the TNM Classification

PURPOSE To evaluate the accuracy and prognostication of the presence of radiologic extranodal extension (rENE) versus pathologic extranodal extension (pENE) in patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). METHODS AND MATERIALS A retrospective review was conducted for all newly diagnosed OSCC patients who underwent neck dissection in our institution from 2010 to 2015 with available records of preoperative computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. Two head and neck neuroradiologists reviewed the presence of rENE (defined as ill-defined lymph node borders) on imaging independently, being blinded regarding the pathology report. The impact of the imaging-surgery interval, imaging modalities, and intrarater and interrater concordance of rENE was assessed. The diagnostic accuracy of rENE versus pENE was evaluated. Overall survival (OS) was compared between those with and without rENE. Multivariate analysis evaluated the prognostic value of rENE. RESULTS Among the 508 patients, rENE and pENE were identified in 57 and 121 cases, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy of rENE versus pENE was identical (73%) for cases with the imaging-surgery interval ≤4 weeks (n = 276) and 4 to 8 weeks (n = 207) but lower (48%) for those >8 weeks (n = 25). Computed tomography displayed higher accuracy on rENE assessment versus magnetic resonance imaging (80% vs 63%, P = .011). Interrater and intrarater concordance (n = 93) was good (κ = 0.79) and excellent (κ = 0.94), respectively. Excluding the 25 cases with a >8 weeks imaging-surgery interval, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of rENE versus pENE in the remaining 483 cases were 52%, 96%, 93%, and 66%, respectively. Patients with rENE (n = 55) had inferior OS versus those without rENE (n = 202), and both had lower OS than node-negative (n = 226) patients (3-year OS: 31% vs 68% vs 81%, P < .001). Multivariate analysis, adjusted for age, T category, N category, and performance status, confirmed the prognostic value of rENE for OS (hazard ratio 3.3, 95% confidence interval 2.4-5.3, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS This large cohort study shows a high specificity but low sensitivity of rENE for pENE. Similar to pENE, the presence of rENE is associated with reduced survival in OSCC.

Radiologic-Pathologic Correlation of Tumor Thickness and Its Prognostic Importance in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Oral Cavity: Implications for the Eighth Edition Tumor, Node, Metastasis Classification

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Addressing the performance of an imaging-based parameter compared to a “gold standard” pathologic measurement is essential to achieve accurate clinical T-classification. Our aim was to determine the radiologic-pathologic tumor thickness correlation and its prognostic value in oral squamous cell carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All pathologic T1–T3 (seventh edition of the Cancer Staging Manual of the American Joint Committee on Cancer) oral squamous cell carcinomas diagnosed between 2010 and 2015 were reviewed. Radiologic tumor thickness was measured on preoperative CT or MR imaging blinded to pathology. The radiologic-pathologic tumor thickness correlation was calculated. The impact of the imaging-to-surgery time interval and imaging technique on the correlation was explored. Intra-/interrater reliability on radiologic tumor thickness was calculated. The correlation of radiologic-versus-pathologic tumor thickness and its performance as the seventh edition T-category modifier was evaluated. Multivariable analysis assessed the prognostic value of the radiologic tumor thickness for overall survival adjusted for age, seventh edition T-category, and performance status. RESULTS: For 354 consecutive patients, the radiologic-pathologic tumor thickness correlation was similar for the image-to-surgery interval of ≤4.0 weeks (ρ = 0.76) versus 4–8 weeks (ρ = 0.80) but lower in those with more than an 8-week interval (ρ = 0.62). CT and MR imaging had similar correlations (0.76 and 0.80). Intrarater and interrater reliability was excellent (0.88 and 0.84). Excluding 19 cases with an imaging-to-surgery interval of >8 weeks, 335 patients were eligible for further analysis. The radiologic-pathologic tumor thickness correlation was 0.78. The accuracy for upstaging the T-classification based on radiologic tumor thickness was 83% for pathologic T1 and 74% for pathologic T2 tumors. Multivariable analysis confirmed the prognostic value of radiologic tumor thickness (hazard ratio = 1.5, P = .02) for overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates a good radiologic-pathologic tumor thickness correlation. Intrarater and interrater reliability for radiologic tumor thickness was excellent. Radiologically thicker tumor was predictive of inferior survival.