Comparison of different guidelines for oral cancer

Development and validation of a cadaveric porcine Pseudotumor model for Oral Cancer biopsy and resection training

OBJECTIVE

The gold standard of oral cancer (OC) treatment is diagnostic confirmation by biopsy followed by surgical treatment. However, studies have shown that dentists have difficulty performing biopsies, dental students lack knowledge about OC, and surgeons do not always maintain a safe margin during tumor resection. To address this, biopsies and resections could be trained under realistic conditions outside the patient. The aim of this study was to develop and to validate a porcine pseudotumor model of the tongue.

METHODS

An interdisciplinary team reflecting various specialties involved in the oncological treatment of head and neck oncology developed a porcine pseudotumor model of the tongue in which biopsies and resections can be practiced. The refined model was validated in a final trial of 10 participants who each resected four pseudotumors on a tongue, resulting in a total of 40 resected pseudotumors. The participants (7 residents and 3 specialists) had an experience in OC treatment ranging from 0.5 to 27 years. Resection margins (minimum and maximum) were assessed macroscopically and compared beside self-assessed margins and resection time between residents and specialists. Furthermore, the model was evaluated using Likert-type questions on haptic and radiological fidelity, its usefulness as a training model, as well as its imageability using CT and ultrasound.

RESULTS

The model haptically resembles OC (3.0 ± 0.5; 4-point Likert scale), can be visualized with medical imaging and macroscopically evaluated immediately after resection providing feedback. Although, participants (3.2 ± 0.4) tended to agree that they had resected the pseudotumor with an ideal safety margin (10 mm), the mean minimum resection margin was insufficient at 4.2 ± 1.2 mm (mean ± SD), comparable to reported margins in literature. Simultaneously, a maximum resection margin of 18.4 ± 6.1 mm was measured, indicating partial over-resection. Although specialists were faster at resection (p < 0.001), this had no effect on margins (p = 0.114). Overall, the model was well received by the participants, and they could see it being implemented in training (3.7 ± 0.5).

CONCLUSION

The model, which is cost-effective, cryopreservable, and provides a risk-free training environment, is ideal for training in OC biopsy and resection and could be incorporated into dental, medical, or oncologic surgery curricula. Future studies should evaluate the long-term training effects using this model and its potential impact on improving patient outcomes.

Benefit-risk appraisal of lip-split mandibular "swing" vs. transoral approaches to posterior oral/oropharyngeal carcinomas using number needed to treat, to harm, and likelihood to be helped or harmed

PURPOSE

s: To evaluate benefit-risk profiles of lip-split mandibular "swing" vs. transoral approaches (LS-MSA; TOA) to the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage I-III posterior oral/oropharyngeal carcinomas (PO/OPC).

METHODS

Using a retrospective double-cohort study design, we enrolled stage I-III PO/OPC patients treated in two German medical centers during a 4-year interval. The predictor variable was surgical technique (LS-MSA/TOA), and main outcomes were complete resection with R₀ margins (CR-R₀), 5-year overall survival and recurrence (OS₅; R₅), and adverse events (AEs). Descriptive and bivariate statistics were computed with α = 95%. Benefit-risk profiles were investigated using number needed to treat (NNT), to harm (NNH), and likelihood to be helped or harmed (LLH).

RESULTS

At 5-year follow-ups of 202 subjects, LS-MSA caused significantly better CR-R₀ (P = 0.001; NNT: 4) and fewer R₅ (P = 0.003; NNT: 5), but more risks of wound dehiscence ([WD]; P = 0.01; NNH = 8), and orocutaneous fistula ([OCF]; P = 0.01; NNH: 10). LLH calculations demonstrated that LS-MSA was 2 and 1.6 times more likely to result in CR-R₀ and fewer R₅ than an incident of WD. There was no significant difference in OS₅, postoperative infections (within 30 postoperative days) and AE domains according to the University of Washington Quality of Life questionnaire version 4 (UW-QoLv4) between the surgical approach groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared to TOA, LS-MSA is an efficacious and tolerable intervention for inspecting and eradicating stage I-III PO/OPCs, and reducing recurrences at 5-year follow-ups. Post-LS-MSA WD and OCF require meticulous concerns and more investigations.

Direct healthcare costs of lip, oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer in Brazil

The efficiency of public policies includes the measurement of the health resources used and their associated costs. There is a lack of studies evaluating the economic impact of oral cancer (OC). This study aims to estimate the healthcare costs of OC in Brazil from 2008 to 2016. This is a partial economic evaluation using the gross costing top-down method, considering the direct healthcare costs related to outpatients, inpatients, intensive care units, and the number of procedures, from the perspective of the public health sector. The data were extracted from the Outpatient and Inpatient Information System of the National Health System, by diagnosis according to the 10^th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases, according to sites of interest: C00 to C06, C09 and C10. The values were adjusted for annual accumulated inflation and expressed in 2018 I$ (1 I$ = R$2,044). Expenditure on OC healthcare in Brazil was I$495.6 million, which was composed of 50.8% (I$251.6 million) outpatient and 49.2% (I$244.0 million) inpatient healthcare. About 177,317 admissions and 6,224,236 outpatient procedures were registered. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy comprised the largest number of procedures (88.8%) and costs (94.9%). Most of the costs were spent on people over 50 years old (72.9%) and on males (75.6%). Direct healthcare costs in Brazil for OC are substantial. Outpatient procedures were responsible for the highest total cost; however, inpatient procedures had a higher cost per procedure. Men over 50 years old consumed most of the cost and procedures for OC. The oropharynx and tongue were the sites with the highest expenditure. Further studies are needed to investigate the cost per individual, as well as direct non-medical and indirect costs of OC.