Advances and residual knowledge gaps in the neck management of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients with advanced nodal disease undergoing definitive (chemo)radiotherapy for their primary

PURPOSE

Substantial changes have been made in the neck management of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) in the past century. These have been fostered by changes in cancer epidemiology and technological progress in imaging, surgery, or radiotherapy, as well as disruptive concepts in oncology. We aimed to review changes in nodal management, with a focus on HNSCC patients with nodal involvement (cN+) undergoing (chemo)radiotherapy.

METHODS

A narrative review was conducted to review current advances and address knowledge gaps in the multidisciplinary management of the cN+ neck in the context of (chemo)radiotherapy.

RESULTS

Metastatic neck nodes are associated with poorer prognosis and poorer response to radiotherapy, and have therefore been systematically treated by surgery. Radical neck dissection (ND) has gradually evolved toward more personalized and less morbid approaches, i.e., from functional to selective ND. Omission of ND has been made feasible by use of positron-emission tomography/computed tomography to monitor the radiation response in cN+ patients. Human papillomavirus-driven oropharyngeal cancers and their cystic nodes have shown dramatically better prognosis than tobacco-related cancers, justifying a specific prognostic classification (AJCC) creation. Finally, considering the role of lymph nodes in anti-tumor immunity, de-escalation of ND and prophylactic nodal irradiation in combination are intense areas of investigation. However, the management of bulky cN3 disease remains an issue, as aggressive multidisciplinary strategies or innovative combined treatments have not yet significantly improved their prognosis.

CONCLUSION

Personalized neck management is an increasingly important aspect of the overall therapeutic strategies in cN+ HNSCC.

Enhancing regional control in p16-negative oropharyngeal cancer: A propensity score-matched analysis of upfront neck dissection and definitive chemoradiotherapy

BACKGROUND

The presence of p16 and neck disease is important predictors of prognosis for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). Patients who are p16-negative and have clinically node-positive (cN+) disease generally have worse oncologic outcomes. This study aimed to investigate whether upfront neck dissection (UFND) could provide potential benefits for patients with cN+ p16-negative OPSCC.

METHODS

Through this retrospective study, 76 patients with cN+ p16-negative OPSCC were analyzed, those who received either definite concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT group) or UFND followed by chemoradiotherapy (UFND group). The primary endpoints were regional recurrence-free survival (RRFS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and overall survival (OS). Factors associated with survival were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analysis. Survival between the two groups was compared by propensity score-matched analysis.

RESULTS

Matched 23 patients in each group through propensity analysis, the UFND group showed a significantly better 5-year RRFS (94.1% vs 61.0%, p = 0.011) compared to the CCRT group. Univariate analysis revealed that UFND was the sole factor associated with regional control (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.110; 95% CI, 0.014-0.879; p = 0.037). Furthermore, the study found that the CCRT group was associated with a higher dose of radiotherapy and exhibited a significantly higher risk of mortality due to pneumonia.

CONCLUSION

The study indicated that UFND followed by CCRT may be a potential treatment option for patients with cN+ p16-negative OPSCC, as it can reduce the risk of regional recurrence. Additionally, the study highlights that definite CCRT is connected to a larger dose of radiotherapy and a higher risk of fatal pneumonia. These findings could be beneficial in informing clinical decision-making and improving treatment outcomes for patients with OPSCC.

The management of metastatic neck nodes following induction chemotherapy in N2/3 classification hypopharyngeal carcinoma

BACKGROUND

For patients with less chemosensitive neck nodes, poor prognosis after chemoradiotherapy (CRT) could be predicted and neck dissection is needed.

METHODS

Ninety-two N2/3 hypopharyngeal carcinoma patients were retrospectively studied. According to response after induction chemotherapy (ICT), patients were treated with neck dissection followed by concurrent CRT (CCRT) (group 1), surgery plus postoperative CRT (group 2), or CCRT for primary and regional sites (group 3).

RESULTS

Overall survival and disease-free survival rates of group 1 were significantly higher than group 2 (p = 0.038, p = 0.031) and group 3 (both p = 0.018). Regional control rate of group 1 was significantly higher than group 3 (p = 0.041). There were no significant differences between groups 1 and 2 regarding local and regional control (p = 0.746, p = 0.302).

CONCLUSIONS

Neck dissection followed by CCRT is the best choice for patients with responsive primary but nonresponsive nodes.

Up-front neck dissection followed by chemoradiotherapy for T1-T3 hypopharyngeal cancer with advanced nodal involvement

Background

The advantage of up‐front neck dissection (UFND) followed by chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for hypopharyngeal cancer (HPC) with advanced neck involvement remains controversial. We aimed to determine the indications.

Methods

The data of 41 and 14 patients with stage IVA/B (T1–T3 and ≥N2a) HPC who underwent UFND followed by CRT and received CRT, respectively, were retrospectively analyzed and compared.

Results

The 5‐year overall survival (OS) and disease‐specific survival rates for the UFND and CRT groups were 61% and 52% (p = 0.1019), and 89% and 74% (p = 0.2333), respectively. Moreover, patients aged ≥70 years or those with a pulmonary disease history had a significantly poorer prognosis due to aspiration pneumonia in the UFND group. The 5‐year regional control (RC) for the UFND and CRT groups were 92% and 57%, respectively (p = 0.0001).

Conclusions

UFND followed by CRT was feasible with satisfactory RC. To further improve OS, aspiration pneumonia prevention is essential.

The different role of PD-L1 in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas: A meta-analysis

Programmed cell death-ligands 1 (PD-L1) is a promising immune target for tumor immunotherapy. We conducted this meta-analysis to investigate association between PD-L1 expression and clinicopathological characteristics of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC). Electronic databases were searched for eligible studies. Hazard ratio (HR) with 95 % confidence interval (CI) were extracted to assess the relationship between PD-L1 expression and overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) of patients. Odds ratio (OR) with 95 %CI were applied to assess the association between PD-L1 expression and clinicopathological features. A total of 1729 patients were identified for this meta-analysis. PD-L1 expression was higher in female patients in HNSCC (OR = 0.58, 95 %CI:0.44-0.76). In oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), female(OR = 0.56, 95 %CI: 0.41-0.77)and lower grade(OR = 0.48, 95 %CI: 0.24-0.93)were associated with the higher PD-L1 level. There was no significant association between OS and PD-L1 in OSCC patients (HR = 0.89, 95 %CI: 0.37-2.14). In oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC), PD-L1 was overexpressed in younger patients (OR = 0.43, 95 %CI: 0.21-0.86), higher tumor grade (OR = 2.46, 95 %CI: 1.38-4.37)and positive HPV status (OR = 2.09, 95 %CI:1.42-3.07). No significant correlation was detected between PD-L1 expression and OS in OPSCC patients (HR = 0.78, 95 %CI: 0.57-1.06). However, the higher PD-L1 expression in tumor cells indicated a better DFS of OPSCC (HR = 0.34, 95 %CI: 0.18-0.67). This meta-analysis demonstrated that PD-L1 overexpression in HNSCC associated with female patients. However, no significant difference was observed in OS or DFS, except the DFS in OPSCC.

Outcomes in Advanced Head and Neck Cancer Treated with Up-front Neck Dissection prior to (Chemo)Radiotherapy

OBJECTIVE

Our aim was to compare outcomes with and without up-front neck dissection prior to (chemo)radiotherapy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

STUDY DESIGN

Case series with chart review.

SETTING

Tertiary referral center.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Outcomes of oropharyngeal, laryngeal, and hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma cases with neck lymph node metastases treated from January 2001 to March 2012 were analyzed. Due to imbalances in baseline characteristics between groups treated with (n = 129) and without (n = 95) up-front neck dissection, propensity score matching was performed.

RESULTS

Median follow-up was 48 months (range, 12-148). With up-front neck dissection, the hazard ratio for the primary end point, disease-free survival, was 0.63 (95% confidence interval: 0.37-1.06, P = .08). Up-front neck dissection reduced acute grade ≥3 toxicity significantly when xerostomia was excluded (odds ratio: 0.40, 95% confidence interval: 0.20-0.82, P = .012).

CONCLUSION

Our results indicate less acute treatment toxicity without any significant difference in terms of oncologic outcome with up-front neck dissection prior to (chemo)radiotherapy as compared with (chemo)radiotherapy alone. Well-designed randomized trials are required to verify this result and further investigate the impact of this strategy on late toxicity and oncologic outcome.

Management of advanced laryngeal cancer

Squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx continues to be the commonest head and neck cancer in many Western countries. The larynx plays a key role for many essential functions, including breathing, voice production, airway protection, and swallowing. The goals of laryngeal cancer treatment are thus to provide best possible oncologic control, while optimizing functional outcomes. In recent decades, the treatment paradigm for advanced laryngeal cancer has shifted from one of primary surgery (total laryngectomy) as gold standard, toward non-surgical organ-preserving treatment using radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy. However, concerns have emerged regarding functional outcomes after chemoradiotherapy, as well as possible decreased overall survival in patients with laryngeal cancer. The purpose of the present review is to review surgical and non-surgical options for treatment of advanced laryngeal cancer, as well as the evidence supporting each of these.