15 Nov Post-Op Radiotherapy Improved Survival In Oral Cavity and Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Michelle Chen
Michelle M. Chen, MD/MHS
Department of Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery
Stanford University
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: The benefit of post-operative radiotherapy (PORT) for patients with T1-T2 N1 oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer without adverse pathologic features is unclear. Starting in 2014, the national guidelines no longer recommended consideration of post-operative radiotherapy for N1 oropharyngeal cancer patients, but left it as a consideration for N1 oral cavity cancer patients. We found that post-operative radiotherapy was associated with improved survival in both oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers, particularly in patients younger than 70 years of age and those with T2 disease.
MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?
Response: Our results suggest that PORT should be an important consideration for even low-risk patients younger than 70 years with OC and OP SCC, particularly those with T2N1 disease.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Response: This study suggests that we should continue to study the effect of the current change in the NCCN guidelines. Avoiding the toxic effects of PORT in a low-risk human papillomavirus (HPV)–positive N1 OP SCC is important and aligns with changes toward de-escalating therapy for these patients. However, our study urges caution in de-escalating off trial for patients with pT2N1 OP SCC or those who are younger than 70 years of age and suggests that further studies are needed.
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Last Updated on November 15, 2016 by Marie Benz MD FAAD