Sparing of high retropharyngeal nodal basins in patients with unilateral oropharyngeal carcinoma treated with intensity modulated radiation therapy Journal Article


Authors: Leeman, J. E.; Gutiontov, S.; Romesser, P.; McBride, S.; Riaz, N.; Lee, N.; Tsai, C. J.
Article Title: Sparing of high retropharyngeal nodal basins in patients with unilateral oropharyngeal carcinoma treated with intensity modulated radiation therapy
Abstract: Purpose The introduction of intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) has facilitated dose painting and sparing of uninvolved/low-risk nodal basins in head and neck cancers. In oropharynx cancer (OPC), the need for elective coverage of uninvolved high contralateral retropharyngeal (RP) nodes and the risk associated with sparing this region remain unclear. We examined outcomes of OPC patients treated with IMRT and omission of contralateral high RP coverage. Methods and materials We identified 102 OPC patients with cN0-N2b disease treated with definitive IMRT with or without concurrent chemotherapy between 2010 and 2013. The contralateral RP nodal basins superior to the vertebral level of C1 were omitted from the elective IMRT field for all patients. Of the 67 patients (66%) with p16 status available, 63 (94%) were p16+. We used the Kaplan-Meier method to estimate overall survival, as well as freedom from local failure, regional failure, distant failure, and retropharyngeal failure. Results The median follow-up was 26.9 months (range, 3.0-59.9 months). There were no failures in the treated ipsilateral RP nodes or the spared contralateral high RP nodes in the entire cohort. In the p16+ cohort and the entire cohort, the 2-year rates of overall survival and freedom from local, regional, distant, and retropharyngeal failure were 98.0% and 95.1%, 98.1% and 97.7%, 96.4% and 96.7%, 98.1% and 95.1%, and 100% and 100%, respectively. Conclusions Omission of contralateral high RP nodes in patients with p16+ OPC with unilateral disease is safe. © 2016 American Society for Radiation Oncology
Keywords: adult; cancer survival; aged; major clinical study; overall survival; intensity modulated radiation therapy; bevacizumab; cisplatin; fluorouracil; cancer combination chemotherapy; treatment planning; paclitaxel; cancer radiotherapy; cancer staging; outcome assessment; follow up; carboplatin; drug effect; cetuximab; oropharynx carcinoma; human; male; female; priority journal; article
Journal Title: Practical Radiation Oncology
Volume: 7
Issue: 4
ISSN: 1879-8519
Publisher: Elsevier Inc.  
Date Published: 2017-07-01
Start Page: 254
End Page: 259
Language: English
DOI: 10.1016/j.prro.2016.11.002
PROVIDER: scopus
PUBMED: 28094212
PMCID: PMC5426987
DOI/URL:
Notes: Article -- Export Date: 1 August 2017 -- Source: Scopus
Altmetric
Citation Impact
BMJ Impact Analytics
MSK Authors
  1. Nadeem Riaz
    418 Riaz
  2. Nancy Y. Lee
    877 Lee
  3. Paul Bernard Romesser
    192 Romesser
  4. Sean Matthew McBride
    296 McBride
  5. Jonathan Eric Leeman
    78 Leeman
  6. Chiaojung Jillian   Tsai
    239 Tsai