Risk of second primary malignancy after nasopharyngeal carcinoma in the United States: A population-based study

Radiotherapy upregulated immune checkpoints contribute to the development of second primary OSCC

OBJECTIVES

Radiation injury is common after radiotherapy for head and neck cancer. Radiotherapy can reshape the immune microenvironment and cause immunosuppression, including dysregulation of immune checkpoints (ICs). However, the relationship between oral ICs expression after radiation and the development of second primary tumors is unclear.

METHODS

Clinical specimens of second primary oral squamous cell carcinoma after radiotherapy (s-OSCC) and primary OSCC (p-OSCC) were collected. The expression and prognostic value of PD-1, VISTA, and TIM-3 were analyzed using immunohistochemistry. To further clarify the relationship between radiation and ICs alteration, a rat model was constructed to explore the spatiotemporal changes of ICs in the oral mucosa after radiation.

RESULTS

In carcinoma tissue, the expression of TIM-3 was higher in s-OSCC than in p-OSCC, while the expression of PD-1 and VISTA was similar between the groups. In para-carcinoma tissue, the expression of PD-1, VISTA, and TIM-3 was higher in s-OSCC. High ICs expression was associated with poor survival. In the rat model, ICs were locally upregulated in the irradiated tongue. Moreover, there was a bystander effect, in which the ICs were also upregulated in the unirradiated site.

CONCLUSION

Radiation may upregulate ICs expression in oral mucosa and contribute to the development of s-OSCC.

The risk of second primary cancer after nasopharyngeal cancer: a systematic review

PURPOSE

Second primary cancers (SPCs) after nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) are rare, but have an impact on the follow-up of this patient population. The aim of this study is to systematically review the literature to determine the prevalence and most typical sites of SPCs after NPC.

METHODS

We searched the databases of PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus for articles on SPCs after NPC. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses guidelines were followed.

RESULTS

This review includes data on 89 168 patients with NPC from 21 articles. The mean occurrence for SPCs was 6.6% and varied from 4.9% in endemic areas to 8.7% in non-endemic areas. The most frequent locations of SPCs were oral cavity, pharynx, nose and paranasal sinuses, esophagus and lung.

CONCLUSION

There is an increased risk for a SPC after NPC management, especially in non-endemic areas. However, their mean rate is lower than after other head and neck carcinomas.

Comparison of Clinical Outcomes, Pathologic Characteristics, and Immune-Related Features of Postradiation vs Sporadic Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Importance

Postradiation oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) is a common secondary malignant neoplasm affecting survivors of head and neck cancer who underwent radiotherapy. The clinical, pathologic, and immune-related features of postradiation OCSCC are poorly characterized, and treatment options are limited because of surgical difficulty and high morbidity associated with reirradiation.

Objective

To determine whether postradiation OCSCC has distinctive clinical, pathologic, and immune-related features compared with demographic-matched sporadic OCSCC.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This retrospective matched cohort study was conducted at a single tertiary oncology center in Hong Kong. Participants included consecutive patients with OCSCC diagnosed between 2000 and 2020. Patients with postradiation OCSCC were matched with patients with sporadic OCSCC using age, year of diagnosis, sex, and anatomic subsites. Data analysis was performed from July to December 2022.

Exposure

Head and neck irradiation involving the oral cavity before the diagnosis of OCSCC.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary outcomes were relapse pattern, survival, and causes of death. Pathologic features; immunohistochemical staining for programmed death-ligand 1, PD-1, MSH6, PMS2, FOXP3, and Ki67; and mRNA expression of 31 immune-related genes were also analyzed.

Results

A total of 173 patients, 60 with postradiation OCSCC (median [IQR] age, 63.8 [53.0-71.7] years; 43 men [71.7%]) and 113 with sporadic OCSCC (median [IQR] age, 64.4 [52.8-70.6] years; 83 men [73.5%]), were included. Patients with postradiation OCSCC had a higher proportion of N0 disease than those with sporadic OCSCC (50 patients [83.3%] vs 56 patients [49.6%]). With a median (IQR) follow-up of 10.2 (1.2-20.5) years, the 10-year relapse-free survival rates were lower in patients with postradiation OCSCC than sporadic OCSCC (29.6% [95% CI, 17.1%-43.2%] vs 52.4% [95% CI, 41.8%-62.0%]; P = .04), and the same was true for overall survival (30.5% [95% CI, 17.6%-44.4%] vs 52.3% [95% CI, 41.4%-62.1%]; P = .03). All relapses in patients with postradiation OCSCC were locoregional, whereas 35.2% of relapses (12 of 34 patients) in patients with sporadic OCSCC were distant. Despite similar 10-year disease-specific survival rates between the 2 groups (68.8% [95% CI, 55.8%-81.0%] vs 67.1% [95% CI, 57.5%-76.5%]; P = .91), patients with postradiation OCSCC had excess mortality due to pneumonia and cerebrovascular events. Postradiation OCSCC exhibited more adverse pathologic features (perineural invasion, worse pattern of invasion, and tumor budding), higher PD-1 expression, and higher gene expression of CD4 and TGF-β compared with sporadic OCSCC.

Conclusions and Relevance

This retrospective matched cohort study found distinctive pathologic characteristics and relapse patterns of postradiation OCSCC compared with sporadic OCSCC, which may be attributable to the lack of adjuvant radiotherapy, aggressive biologic phenotype, and different host immune response. Further exploration of the role of immune checkpoint therapy may be justified.

Salvage treatments for locally recurrent nasopharyngeal cancer: Systematic review and meta-analysis

The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of various salvage treatments to treat locally recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (IrNPC). A comprehensive search was conducted to gather relevant research publications on salvage treatment for IrNPC. Specifically, 2-, 3-, and 5-year overall survival were the primary outcome. A total of 89 studies with 101 cohorts were collected. Endoscopic nasopharyngectomy was found to be associated with a significantly improved 5-year OS compared with CRT (p = 0.027) and IMRT (p = 0.016). Moreover, based on recurrence T classification, the 2-, 3-, and 5-year OS were similar across different treatments. Endoscopic nasopharyngectomy was associated with a significant reduction in treatment-related complications (grade ≥ 3) compared with IMRT (p < 0.001) and open nasopharyngectomy (p = 0.028). Endoscopic nasopharyngectomy may provide comparable treatment outcomes to re-irradiation, while offering a better safety profile for selective patients with resectable IrNPC.

Second primary oral squamous cell carcinoma after radiotherapy: a retrospective cohort study

Background

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic factors of second primary oral squamous cell carcinoma after radiotherapy for head and neck cancer.

Methods

The clinicopathological characteristics of 48 second primary oral squamous cell carcinoma patients with a history of radiotherapy for head and neck cancer were retrospectively analyzed by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional hazards model, including gender, age, alcohol consumption, smoking, clinical stage, margin status, regional lymph node status, tumor differentiation and treatment mode.

Results

The second primary oral squamous cell carcinoma mostly occurred on the tongue [18/48], buccal [12/48] and gingiva [10/48], and the 3- and 5-year overall survival (OS) was 60.3% and 39.4%, respectively. Margin status and extranodal extension were significantly associated with OS, while only margin status was found to be an independent prognostic factor of OS in the Cox proportional hazards model (P=0.003, HR =3.976, 95% CI: 1.596–9.904).

Conclusions

Oral squamous cell carcinoma patients underwent radiotherapy for head and neck cancer show poor survival outcomes. Margin status is an independent prognostic factor of second primary oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Secondary Nasopharyngeal Mixed Adenoneuroendocrine Carcinoma After Radical Radiotherapy for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: A Rare Case and Literature Review

The incidence of primary mixed adenoneuroendocrine carcinoma (MANEC) is rapidly increasing. MANEC mainly arises from the gastrointestinal tract, but occasionally it occurs as a pathological type of second primary malignancy (SPM). These SPMs can occur in the nasopharynx. Herein we describe the case of a first secondary nasopharyngeal MANEC that was detected 20 years after radical radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The patient was a 50-year-old man who was admitted to our hospital after experiencing 1 month of left nasal congestion and ipsilateral tinnitus caused by a nasopharyngeal mass that was detected via physical examination and magnetic resonance imaging. A biopsy specimen from this nasopharyngeal lesion led to a histopathological diagnosis of recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma. He underwent high-dose palliative radiotherapy, followed by a course of gemcitabine–cisplatin-based adjuvant chemotherapy. These treatments failed to achieve local control of the tumor, and progressive left earache emerged. Another two forceps biopsies of the external auditory canal mass were conducted, and immunohistochemical testing for adenocarcinoma and neuroendocrine carcinoma markers including CK7, CK8, CK18, carcinoembryonic antigen, synaptophysin, chromogranin A, and CD56 was conducted. The diagnosis of MANEC was ultimately confirmed 5 months after the first visit, and one additional cycle of chemotherapy was subsequently performed. The patient died of hepatic metastases 8 months after the final diagnosis. Knowledge of this rare case will raise awareness of MANEC as a new pathological type of SPM originating in the nasopharynx, which will reduce delays and promote early diagnosis.

Risk of second primary malignancy after minor salivary gland cancer: A Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database analysis

BACKGROUND

Minor salivary gland cancer (MiSGC) is a group of tumors with varied disease course in the head and neck. We evaluated the risk of a second primary malignancy (SPM) in MiSGC patients and identified possible prognostic factors for survival using a large population database.

METHODS

We used the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) data to evaluate the risk and prognosis of SPM in patients diagnosed with MiSGC.

RESULTS

The risk of SPM increased in MiSGC patients compared with the endemic rate. The risk of SPM was slightly greater in female patients and who underwent radiotherapy. Age at primary diagnosis, sex, race, year of diagnosis, SEER stage, radiotherapy, SPM, histology, and tumor site were significant survival prognostic indicators of MiSGC patients.

CONCLUSION

Radiotherapy and female sex were risk factors for SPM after MiSGC. Long-term surveillance for SPM was important in MiSGC patients.

Outcomes of recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients treated with endoscopic nasopharyngectomy: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (rNPC) is mainly managed with re-irradiation or salvage surgery. Endoscopic resection is generally considered as the preferred surgical treatment, whereas a standard treatment modality has yet to be established. This article is aimed to summarize the treatment outcomes of endoscopic rNPC resection.

METHODS

Major medical databases including PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Library, Web of Science, and 2 major Chinese databases, CNKI and Wanfang, were searched for studies on endoscopic rNPC resection. Main characteristics of study and outcomes of interest were retrieved from articles meeting the selection criteria for meta-analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 761 articles were identified through the initial systematic research. The combined 1-year, 2-year, and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were 97%, 92%, and 73% with random effect model, respectively. The combined 2-year and 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) rates were 81% and 62%, respectively. Meta-regression analysis showed that high recurrent tumor (rT) stage (rT3 to rT4) case proportion was a correlative factor of heterogeneity. Combined 2-year OS rate in rT1, rT2, rT3, and rT4 patients were 100%, 87%, 78%, and 38%, respectively. Combined 2-year DFS rate in rT1 and rT2 patients were and 96% and 86%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The combined OS and DFS rates of rNPC patients treated with endoscopic nasopharyngectomy were summarized and reported in our study. This meta-analysis indicated that endoscopic nasopharyngectomy has comparable and possibly better treatment outcomes than intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Therefore, the result of our study indicated that randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are needed in rNPC patients to compare treatment outcomes of endoscopic nasopharyngectomy vs IMRT.

Occurrence of metachronous second primary cancer in head and neck cancer survivors: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature

OBJECTIVE

Head and neck cancer (HNC) is the sixth leading cancer worldwide with approximately 600,000 new cases per year. Several studies suggest that HNC survivors may have an increased risk of developing second primary cancers (SPCs). A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed aiming to quantify the overall and site-specific risk of metachronous SPCs in HNC survivors.

METHODS

PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus were searched to identify studies published until October 2019. Studies investigating the standardised incidence ratio (SIR) of metachronous SPC were included. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed to calculate the overall and site-specific SIRs. Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used to assess the study's quality. Heterogeneity was quantified using the I² statistics and explored using meta-regression.

RESULTS

Twenty-six studies were included in the systematic review. Studies differed by the definition of metachronous SPC used. For the meta-analyses, the studies were grouped according to these definitions. In the three groups, the overall risk of metachronous SPC was increased. The highest SPC risk was for oropharynx, oesophagus and lung.

CONCLUSIONS

Head and neck cancer survivors are at increased overall risk of metachronous SPCs. The canonical upper aerodigestive sites, HNLE (head and neck, oesophagus and lung), were the SPC sites with the highest risk.

IMPLICATION FOR CANCER SURVIVORS

Our results emphasise the importance of targeted surveillance strategies aimed at early detection and tertiary preventive interventions.

The poor outcome of second primary oral squamous cell carcinoma is attributed to Bmi1 upregulation

Radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma has been reported to cause second primary oral squamous cell carcinoma (s-OSCC). The prognosis and pathologic characteristic of s-OSCC are largely unknown. Bmi1 was associated with the repair of radiation-induced DNA damage, suggesting its possible involvement in the pathologic process of s-OSCC. Herein, we compared the prognosis between s-OSCC and primary OSCC (p-OSCC) and explored the involvement of Bmi1 in s-OSCC development. In this retrospective study, s-OSCC and p-OSCC patients were matched by propensity scores. Their outcomes were compared by univariate and multivariate analyses. The expression of Bmi1 in s-OSCC and p-OSCC was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Radiation-induced Bmi1 alteration in early-stage was explored in a rat model and HaCaT cells. After matching, 116 pairs of patients with highly balanced characteristics were included. In univariate analysis, the overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) were poorer in s-OSCC than in p-OSCC (P < 0.05), while their regional metastasis-free survival (RMFS) was parallel (P = 0.112). Multivariate analysis further revealed that radiotherapy history was an independent risk factor for OS, DSS, and LRFS (P < 0.05). IHC results showed that the positive rate of Bmi1 was higher in s-OSCC (P = 0.0027). In a rat model of radiotherapy-induced mucositis, Bmi1 upregulation was observed 8 days after irradiation. Consistently, Bmi1 was upregulated in HaCaT cells 1 h after irradiation, and its upregulation was in accord with X-ray exposure duration. In conclusion, the prognosis of s-OSCC is poorer as compared to p-OSCC, which may be attributed to Bmi1 upregulation.