Background
There has been increasing interest in primary surgical treatment of patients with early T classification (T1–T2) oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC), with the stated goal of de-escalating or avoiding adjuvant treatment. We sought to determine the degree to which this interest has translated into changes in practice patterns, and the rates of adverse post-operative pathologic features.
Methods
Patients with T1–T2 OPSCC in the National Cancer Database (NCDB) treated from 2004–2013 were categorized as receiving primary surgical or primary radiation-based treatment. Trends in treatment selection and factors related to selection of primary surgery were examined. The rates of adverse pathologic features including positive margins, extracapsular spread (ECS), and advanced T and N stage following surgery were analyzed.
Results
Of 8,768 patients with T1–T2 OPSCC, 68% received primary surgical treatment, increasing from 56% in 2004 to 82% in 2013 (p<0.0001). The highest versus lowest volume hospitals treated 78% versus 59% of patients with primary surgery (O.R. 2.23 C.I. 1.55–3.22, p<0.0001). Higher nodal stage predicted lower rates of primary surgery, but the majority of patients with clinical N2/N3 disease underwent primary surgery. Among surgical patients, positive margins were present in 24% and ECS in 25%. Positive margins decreased over time (p<0.0001) and were seen less often at high volume centers (p<0.0001). Among candidates for single modality therapy (clinical T1–T2/N0–N1), 33% had positive margins and/or ECS, and 47% had at least one adverse feature (T3–T4, N2–N3, positive margins, and/or ECS).
Conclusion
Primary surgical treatment for early T-stage OPSCC has become more widespread.