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Chemoradiation extended OS in oropharyngeal cancer
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Patients with low- or intermediate-risk oropharyngeal cancer treated with chemoradiation demonstrated longer OS than those who underwent surgery followed by radiation therapy, according to results of a retrospective analysis.
The ideal treatment modality for oropharyngeal cancer has not been established, and no predictive factors are known to guide treatment decisions, according to background information provided by researchers.
The current study assessed the effects of different treatment options according to patient risk profiles.
The analysis included 171 patients; of them, 56 underwent surgery followed by radiation therapy, and 115 received chemoradiation with or without induction docetaxel, cisplatin and fluorouracil (5-FU) chemotherapy.
In the surgery group, 20% of patients had low-risk disease, 23% had intermediate-risk disease and 57% had high-risk disease. In the chemoradiation group, 20% of patients had low-risk disease, 41% had intermediate-risk disease and 39% had high-risk disease.
Researchers reported higher 5-year OS rates among patients treated with chemoradiation. The trend was observed across low-risk (100% vs. 54.5%), intermediate-risk (78.9% vs. 46.9%) and high-risk patients (46.7% vs. 40%).
When researchers adjusted for inhomogeneity between treatment groups, the chemoradiation effect was significantly higher in the low- and intermediate-risk groups (P=.034).
“These data suggest that different treatment approaches might be essential in determining outcome results,” the researchers wrote.
Disclosure: See the full study for a list of the researchers’ relevant financial disclosures.
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