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Surgery for T1/2N0 Oropharyngeal Carcinoma Is a Better Treatment Option than Radiotherapy–A Long-Term Follow-Up Study from a Single Japanese High-Volume Cancer Center
by
, , ,
Masahiro Rokugo
1,2, 
Takeshi Shinozaki
1,
Ryo Ishii
2,
Yusuke Ito
1,
Shingo Sakashita
3,
Genichiro Ishii
4,
Takenori Ogawa
5,*,
Yukio Katori
2,
Kazuto Matsuura
1 and
Ryuichi Hayashi
1,* 
1
Department of Head and Neck Surgery, National Cancer Center Hospital East, Chiba, Kashiwa 277-8577, Japan
2
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Miyagi, Sendai 980-8574, Japan
3
Division of Pathology, Exploratory Oncology Research and Clinical Trial Center, National Cancer Center East, Chiba, Kashiwa 277-8577, Japan
4
Department of Pathology and Clinical Laboratories, National Cancer Center Hospital East, Chiba, Kashiwa 277-8577, Japan
5
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Gifu 501-1194, Japan
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Cancers 2025, 17(11), 1862; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17111862
Submission received: 2 May 2025
/
Revised: 29 May 2025
/
Accepted: 30 May 2025
/
Published: 31 May 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Oral Cancer: The Latest Advances in Clinical and Basic Research (Second Edition))
Simple Summary
This retrospective study included 94 cases of early-stage (T1/2N0) oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma treated with surgery or radiotherapy. Of these, 74 cases underwent surgery, and 20 cases received radiotherapy. Of the patients who underwent surgery, 57 underwent transoral surgery, and 17 underwent pharyngectomy via transcervical approach. The five-year overall survival was significantly higher in the surgery group compared to radiotherapy (74.9% vs. 51.0%, p = 0.035). Disease-specific survival and local control rates also favored surgery but did not reach statistical significance. Notably, 57.4% of cases suffered from multiple primary cancers, of which 30.9% were in the head and neck region and all were metachronous. These findings suggest that surgery is an effective initial treatment for early-stage oropharyngeal cancer, which often involves metachronous multiple primary cancers, and contributes to improving prognosis.
Abstract
Background:The proportion of oropharyngeal cancers, especially those that are HPV-associated, is increasing, and both surgery and RT are considered effective initial treatments for early-stage oropharyngeal cancer, regardless of p16 status. However, there are still many unknowns regarding the long-term prognosis after initial treatment, the incidence rate of multiple cancers, and the relationship with p16 status. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 94 cases of T1/2N0 oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (OPSCCs) treated with surgery or radiotherapy between January 2000 and December 2012 at the Japan National Cancer Center Hospital East. The study items include long-term prognosis, p16 status, and the proportion of patients with multiple cancers after receiving treatment for oropharyngeal cancer. Results: The patients included 80 men and 14 women, whose median age was 68 (35–92). The median follow-up time was 2131 days. T1N0 cancer was observed in 34 patients and T2N0 in 60 patients. Surgery was performed for 74 patients, and radiotherapy for 20 patients. Of the patients who underwent surgery, 57 underwent transoral surgery, and 17 underwent pharyngectomy via transcervical approach. Nine of the 17 patients underwent partial pharyngectomy with free-flap reconstruction. The 5-year overall survival rates were 74.9 and 51.0% (p = 0.035); the 5-year disease-specific survival rates were 86.0 and 64.5% (p = 0.116); and the 5-year local control rates, 76.5 and 59.1% (p = 0.106) for the surgery and radiotherapy groups, respectively. Furthermore, 54 (57.4%) of the 94 cases suffered from multiple primary cancers, of which 29 (30.9%) were in the head and neck region and all were metachronous. Conclusions: Initial surgery for T1/2N0 OPSCCs is a proper therapeutic strategy considering the better overall survival and high incidence of multiple primary cancers.
Keywords:
oropharyngeal cancer; squamous cell carcinoma; surgery
