Intensification regimen 2 for advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinomas

Systematic review of intraoperative radiation therapy for head and neck cancer

Multidisciplinary treatments with surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy are the cornerstones in the management of locally advanced head and neck malignancies. In most cases, radiation is delivered via external beam radiation therapy (EBRT). Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT), on the other hand, is the delivery of precise doses of radiation to selected target volumes within the exposed surgical field while at the operating room. Most studies on its use on head and neck cancers are limited to single-institutional retrospective case series. We performed a systematic review to consolidate the existing literature on IORT for head and neck malignancies. Fifty-two studies representing a mixed population of 2,389 patients were included in this review. IORT via electrons (intraoperative electron radiation therapy), brachytherapy (intraoperative high dose-rate brachytherapy) or photons was administered in numerous settings, but most commonly as part of a reirradiation regimen following salvage surgery for recurrent tumours. Often, additional EBRT was also planned postoperatively. This review illustrates that IORT is a promising treatment modality in head and neck cancer. Multiple single-institutional studies spanning several decades have demonstrated benefit in terms of local control with reasonable toxicity. However, randomised trials comparing it with current standards of care are still needed.

Systematic review of postoperative therapy for resected squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck: Executive summary of the American Radium Society appropriate use criteria

BACKGROUND

The aims of this systematic review are to (a) evaluate the current literature on the impact of postoperative therapy for resected squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) on oncologic and non-oncologic outcomes and (b) identify the optimal evidence-based postoperative therapy recommendations for commonly encountered clinical scenarios.

METHODS

An analysis of the medical literature from peer-reviewed journals was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guideline. Prospective studies and methodology-based systematic reviews and meta-analyses of postoperative therapy for SCCHN were identified by searching Medline (OVID) and EMBASE (Elsevier) using controlled vocabulary terms (ie, National Library of Medicine Medical Subject Headings [MeSH], EMTREE). Study screening and selection was performed with Covidence software and full-text review. The RAND/UCLA appropriateness method was used by the expert panel to rate the appropriate use of postoperative therapy, and the modified Delphi method was used to come to consensus.

RESULTS

A total of 5660 studies were identified and screened using the title and abstract, leading to 201 studies assessed for relevance using full-text review. After limitation to the eligibility criteria, 101 studies from 1977 to 2020 were identified, including 77 with oncologic endpoints and 24 with function and quality of life endpoints. All studies reported staging prior to the implementation of American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC-8).

CONCLUSIONS

Prospective clinical studies and systematic reviews identified through the PRISMA systematic review provided good evidence for consensus statements regarding the appropriate use of postoperative therapy for resected SCCHN. Further research is needed in domains where consensus by the expert panel could not be achieved for the appropriateness of specific postoperative therapeutic interventions.

Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) in head and neck cancer: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Multimodality therapy constitutes the standard treatment of advanced and recurrent head and neck cancer. Since locoregional recurrence comprises a major obstacle in attaining cure, the role of intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) as an add-on in improving survival and local control of the disease has been investigated. IORT allows delivery of a single tumoricidal dose of radiation to areas of potential residual microscopic disease while minimizing doses to normal tissues. Advantages of IORT include the conformal delivery of a large dose of radiation in an exposed and precisely defined tumor bed, minimizing the risk of a geographic miss creating the potential for subsequent dose reduction of external beam radiation therapy (EBRT). This strategy allows for shortening overall treatment time and dose escalation. The aim of this review is to summarize recent published work on the use of IORT as an adjuvant modality to treat common head and neck cancer in the primary or recurrent setting.

METHODS

We searched the Medline, Scopus, Ovid, Cochrane, Embase, and ISI Web of Science databases for articles published from 1980 up to March 2016.

RESULTS

Based on relevant publications it appears that including IORT in the multimodal treatment may contribute to improved local control. However, the benefit in overall survival is not so clear.

CONCLUSION

IORT seems to be a safe, promising adjunct in the management of head and neck cancer and yet further well organized clinical trials are required to determine its role more precisely.

Treatment preference, adherence and outcomes in patients with cancer: literature review and development of a theoretical model

OBJECTIVE

A patient's preference may guide their behavior and influence their willingness to take medication or undergo treatment affecting outcomes, such as health-related quality of life, or survival. The importance of understanding patient preferences within oncology is unclear and few adherence studies exist compared with other therapeutic areas.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

This study was designed to review the literature regarding patient preferences, adherence and their link to outcomes specifically in the oncology setting and to propose a theoretical model. An in-depth review was conducted, using Embase, MEDLINE and Cochrane Library databases to search for published data examining patient preference, adherence and oncology-specific outcomes, from 1982-2012. Articles were reviewed independently by two authors and rated for relevance and quality. Information from high-quality articles and discussion with oncology and patient preference experts were used to identify associations between important individual concepts as a basis for a theoretical model.

RESULTS

In total, 1362 abstracts were identified. After removal of duplicates and initial review, 1269 were excluded and 93 reviewed in detail. Of these publications, 18 were deemed 'high-quality' and used to develop the final model. Variables associated with patient preference, adherence and outcome were identified. External variables included communication, treatment and mode of administration; patient beliefs and values were identified as cognitive variables; and adherence was attributed as a behavioral variable. Relationships between patient preference, adherence and clinical outcomes were established. Adverse events had a strong relationship with adherence; patient beliefs and values were identified as having a moderating effect on adherence. Adherence behavior had a direct relationship to outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Improving our understanding of patient preference may improve clinical outcomes in oncology patients. Although the proposed theoretical model is limited, it provides a basis to develop testable hypotheses for the relationships between patient preference, adherence and outcomes specific to oncology.

Feasibility of flap reconstruction in conjunction with intraoperative radiation therapy for advanced and recurrent head and neck cancer

BACKGROUND

Radiation is a known risk factor for poor wound healing. Patients undergoing intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) typically receive higher cumulative doses to their wound beds than patients treated with conventional radiation therapy. We review our experience with IORT in patients undergoing resection of head and neck cancer and flap reconstruction. Logistics of delivery and outcomes are discussed.

METHODS

A retrospective chart review was performed on all patients at Beth Israel Medical Center who underwent IORT for head and neck cancer between 2000 and 2007. Twenty-one patients receiving 22 treatments involving flap reconstruction were identified. The results of these reconstructions were evaluated for complications and functional outcome.

RESULTS

All patients had complex surgical wounds of the face, upper aerodigestive tract, or neck who received IORT in conjunction with pedicled or free flap closure. Twenty-five flaps in 21 patients were performed in the setting of IORT. All patients received between 10 and 15 Gy of IORT administered directly to the wound bed. There were no perioperative mortalities. Wound breakdown occurred in three cases, all of which were treated successfully by operative revision. Functionally, most patients did well and performed similarly to historic controls for their type of reconstruction.

CONCLUSIONS

Reconstruction using flaps in the context of IORT can be achieved with expectation of good wound healing in the majority of cases despite heavy cumulative doses of radiation to recipient wound beds.

Long-term results of a multimodal intensification regimen for previously untreated advanced resectable squamous cell cancer of the oral cavity, oropharynx, or hypopharynx

BACKGROUND

Long-term disease control of an intensified treatment regimen for previously untreated stage III and IV resectable oral cavity, oropharyngeal, or hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma was analyzed.

METHODS

Forty-three patients with previously untreated, advanced stage, resectable squamous carcinomas of the oral cavity, oropharynx, or hypopharynx were enrolled in a prospective phase II institutional clinical trial at a tertiary care National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center. It includes preoperative accelerated hyperfractionated radiotherapy with concurrent cisplatin followed immediately by surgery and intraoperative radiotherapy, and completed with early postoperative weekly paclitaxel, two additional cisplatin cycles, and concurrent once-daily radiotherapy beginning on day 28 after surgery.

RESULTS

Forty-three patients enrolled in the study. Protocol compliance was 53%. The range of time at risk was 10.4 to 56.23 months (median, 45 months). The locoregional (93%) and systemic (91%) disease control rates were excellent. Overall long-term survival was 79%.

CONCLUSIONS

An intensive treatment regimen that improves compliance and long-term disease control is clearly feasible for this patient population.

Intraoperative radiation therapy in the multimodality approach to upper aerodigestive tract cancer

The cure rate of operable lung cancer and locally advanced head and neck cancer remains suboptimal, with a limited rate of local control despite improvements in the surgical removal of primary tumors and in methods for mediastinal lymph node dissection, in particular. The efficacy of adjuvant therapy, such as EBRT, has improved, and the immediate efficacy of new chemotherapeutic drugs is increasingly significant, although local recurrences remain frequent. Locoregional failure is not uncommon in upper aerodigestive tract cancers. Factors limiting radiocurability for locally advanced (stage III) lung cancer include mediastinal intolerance of irradiation (high risk of mediastinal fibrosis, which increases exponentially when levels of much more than 50 Gy are administered to the whole mediastinum) and the very high radiosensitivity of the healthy lung, which can develop fibrosis with relatively small or moderate doses starting at 18 to 20 Gy, and even more frequently when larger volumes are irradiated. Head and neck neoplasms are less difficult sites in which to administer doses of up to 70 Gy of external beam radiotherapy initially, but, like locoregionally recurrent lung cancers, they are not easily reirradiated with tumoricidal doses of EBRT. For these reasons, IORT seems to be a good option for increasing local control, because areas of [figure: see text] residual microscopic disease may be irradiated using IOERT approaches without affecting critical organs to the same extent. In addition, careful patient selection is paramount. Combined modality treatment regimens incorporating IORT may benefit patients with locally advanced disease. The ability of IORT to sterilize microscopic residual disease can enhance the "completeness" of resection and thus, theoretically, improve local control. Although distant disease dissemination remains by far the overriding issue, as newer effective agents emerge, local failure will continue to be a problem. Preliminary studies have demonstrated that IORT can be administered to patients who have locally advanced NSCLC and head and neck cancer, in the context of aggressive combined modality therapy, and is generally well tolerated. Long-term efficacy and benefit can only be determined in the setting of carefully designed clinical trials. (See the article by Thomas and Merrick elsewhere in this issue for further discussion of this topic.) Several relatively small, single-institution pilot studies exploring the utility and benefit of IORT for locally advanced upper aerodigestive tract cancers have been conducted. Clear conclusions have been difficult to determine because of the mixing of disease stages, varying degrees and completeness of surgical resection, varying radiation doses, different schemas, and other factors. Yet, given the major morbidity and mortality associated with locally recurrent lung cancer, methods of improving local control need to be pursued and refined. Encouraging preliminary data suggest that IOERT can be safely administered and may benefit local control. Based on several centers' expertise in the combined modality treatment of locally advanced lung cancer and familiarity with IORT, the UCSF Thoracic Oncology Program has proposed a multicenter phase 2 study incorporating IORT in a combined multimodality treatment schema for patients who have completely resected locally advanced stage IIIA and IIIB NSCLC (nonpleural effusion, non-N3) (Fig. 1). It is hoped that this study will commence in the upcoming year.

Disease control, survival, and functional outcome after multimodal treatment for advanced-stage tongue base cancer

BACKGROUND

Surgical resection and postoperative radiation for advanced-stage malignancies of the oral cavity, oropharynx, and hypopharynx result in a dismal overall survival of 38%. Patients with carcinoma of the tongue base frequently have advanced disease at the time of presentation, and combined-modality therapy is usually required to achieve cure. Because of the poor survival rates with advanced malignancies with standard therapy, new and innovative approaches continue to be developed in an attempt to have a greater impact on disease control, patient survival, and functional outcome after therapy. This study examines functional outcome, survival, and disease control in patients receiving an intensified treatment regimen with concomitant chemoradiotherapy, surgery, and intraoperative radiotherapy for previously untreated, resectable, stage III and IV squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the tongue base.

METHODS

Forty patients with previously untreated, resectable, stage III and IV squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue base were treated in one of three sequential phase II intensification regimens (IRs). Treatment consisted of perioperative, hyperfractionated radiotherapy (9.1 Gy) with concurrent cisplatin followed by surgical resection with intraoperative radiotherapy boost (7.5 Gy). Postoperative treatment involved concurrent chemoradiotherapy (40 Gy to the primary site and upper neck and 45 Gy to the supraclavicular areas) with cisplatin with or without paclitaxel. Locoregional and distant disease control, 2-year overall, and disease-specific survival rates were calculated. The Performance Status Scale (PSS) for Head and Neck Cancer Patients was administered to 25 of the surviving patients. The effects of the method of surgical reconstruction, surgery involving the mandible and/or larynx, and early versus advanced T stage on PSS score were evaluated with the Wilcoxon rank-sum test.

RESULTS

Median follow-up in months for IR1, IR2, and IR3 were 83.6, 75.2, and 26.8. The locoregional control rate was 100%, and the rate of distant metastases was 7.5% for all patients. Two-year overall and disease-specific survival rates for the entire study population were 74.7% and 93.6%, respectively. Mean PSS scores by subscales Eating in Public, Understandability of Speech, and Normalcy of Diet were 55 (range, 0-100), 73 (range, 25-100), and 49 (range, 0-100), respectively. PSS scores were significantly higher in patients with primary closure of the surgical defect, no mandibular surgery, and early T-stage lesions.

CONCLUSIONS

Although functional outcome may be decreased by certain surgical interventions and advanced T stage, the high rate of locoregional and distant disease control and excellent 2-year disease-specific survival supports an aggressive treatment regimen for advanced tongue base cancer.

Multimodal intensification therapy for previously untreated advanced resectable squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, oropharynx, or hypopharynx

BACKGROUND

An intensified treatment regimen for previously untreated Stage III and IV resectable oral cavity, oropharyngeal, or hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma was analyzed to assess disease control, patient compliance, and toxicity.

METHODS

Forty three patients with previously untreated, advanced, resectable squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, oropharynx, or hypopharynx were enrolled in a prospective Phase II institutional clinical trial at a tertiary care comprehensive cancer center. This regimen was a continuum of multimodal treatment in a contracted time interval. It included preoperative slightly accelerated hyperfractionated radiotherapy with concurrent cisplatin, followed immediately with surgery and intraoperative radiotherapy, and completed with early postoperative weekly paclitaxel (beginning on Day 6 after surgery), two additional cisplatin cycles, and concurrent once daily radiotherapy beginning on Day 28 after surgery.

RESULTS

The current trial was designed to reduce the toxicity of the systemic therapy while maintaining or improving locoregional/distant disease control and patient compliance. There were 43 patients enrolled, and the range of time at risk was 2.6 to 24.7 months (median, 14.6 months). Of the 43 registered patients, 43 were evaluable. The locoregional (100%) and systemic (93%) disease control rates were excellent, with low rates of patient noncompliance (21%) and reduced levels of toxicity.

CONCLUSIONS

An intensive treatment regimen that improves disease control and treatment compliance is clearly feasible for this patient population. Future plans include modifications to continue to reduce toxicity and expansion to a multi-center Phase II trial to determine if the single institutional results can be duplicated.

Combined modality treatment of oral and oropharyngeal cancer including neoadjuvant intraarterial cisplatin and radical surgery followed by concurrent radiation and chemotherapy with weekly docetaxel - three year results of a pilot study

BACKGROUND

A new four-modality treatment of primary oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas was evaluated with regard to feasibility, tolerance, and survival.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Seventy three operable patients (100%) with histologically proven untreated stage I to stage IV disease received at least one cycle of neoadjuvant intraarterial chemotherapy with 150 mg/m(2) cisplatin neutralized with sodium thiosulphate, followed by radical operation for the tumour with a simultaneous selective neck dissection (clinically negative neck), or modified radical neck dissection (nodal involvement), followed by adjuvant chemoradiation over 5 weeks (51.9 Gy, systemic docetaxel 25 mg/m(2), once every week).

RESULTS

Ninety-six per cent of patients were operated on, 68% had postoperative radiation, 57% concomitant chemotherapy; 44% fulfilled the complete protocol. There have been 11 local or regional recurrences to date, three of which were treated by salvage surgery. Eighteen patients died, in nine of them death was tumour-related. Seventy five per cent lived after a median observation time of 33 months. Cumulative survival was 74% calculated for 4 years.

CONCLUSION

The presented multimodality regimen proved feasible and showed better survival for the whole population and for all tumour stages when compared with the treatment-dependent prognosis index of the DOSAK (German-Austrian-Swiss Cooperative Group on tumours of the maxillofacial region).

Induction paclitaxel in previously untreated, resectable, advanced squamous cell carcinomas of head and neck

BACKGROUND

Previous Phase II trials evaluating paclitaxel as a single agent have produced objective response rates of 38-40%. However, in these studies patients had recurrent disease and had received previous treatment with chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, or some combination of the same. To the authors' knowledge, the study reported here is the first to examine the role of paclitaxel in affecting objective antitumor response, as a single agent, in a previously untreated patient population.

METHODS

Patients with untreated, resectable, advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck were eligible for this Phase II trial. The treatment plan included paclitaxel 250 mg/m(2) administered by 24-hour intravenous infusion every 21 days for a total of 3 courses and primary prophylaxis with colony stimulating factor during each course of chemotherapy. Surgical resection was performed after recovery from the final course of chemotherapy. After adequate wound healing, patients received external beam radiotherapy (median dose to primary site, 55.8 Gray [Gy]; median dose to neck sites, 50.4 Gy).

RESULTS

Forty-five patients were registered. Thirty-eight patients completed the planned chemotherapy, 41 patients underwent surgical resection, and 37 patients completed the intended radiotherapy. The objective response rate was 50% (10% complete response; 40% partial response). Severe or life-threatening (Grade 3 or higher) granulocytopenia or thrombocytopenia occurred in 78% and 27% of patients, respectively. Two patients died of sepsis. Seventy-one percent, 67%, and 91% of patients were free of local, lymph node, and distant recurrence, respectively, with a median follow-up of 37 months. The 4-year overall survival and disease-related survival rates were 44.4% and 52.9%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The authors conclude that paclitaxel is an active agent in patients with advanced head and neck carcinoma. However, the overall disease control, achieved by using paclitaxel as induction therapy, did not appear to be better than that achieved with standard treatment methods. Combined modality regimens with concurrent chemotherapy and radiotherapy have demonstrated more promise.