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Background NRG Oncology NSABP B-39/RTOG 0413 compared whole-breast irradiation (WBI) to accelerated partial-breast irradiation (APBI). APBI was not equivalent to WBI in local tumor control. Secondary outcome was quality of life (QOL). Methods The QOL sub-study used validated self-report questionnaires, including the Breast Cancer Treatment Outcome Scale (BCTOS) and the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) vitality scale. Assessments occurred before random assignment, at treatment completion (chemotherapy or radiotherapy), 4 weeks later, at 6, 12, 24, and 36 months. Primary aims: cosmesis change equivalency (baseline to 3 years; a priori margin of equivalence 0.4 standard deviations) and fatigue change superiority (baseline to end of treatment [EOT]) for APBI vs WBI, by patient groups treated with or without chemotherapy when appropriate. Results From March 21, 2005 to May 25, 2009, 975 patients enrolled in this sub-study; 950 had follow-up data. APBI had 3-year cosmesis equivalent to WBI (95% CI = -0.0001 to -0.16; equivalence margin -0.22 to -0.22) in all patients. The APBI group without chemotherapy had less EOT fatigue (P  = .011; mean score APBI 63 vs WBI 59); the APBI group receiving chemotherapy had worse EOT fatigue (P  = .011; APBI 43 vs WBI 49). The APBI group reported less pain (BCTOS) at EOT (WBI 2.29 vs APBI 1.97) but worse pain at 3 years (WBI 1.62 vs APBI 1.71). APBI patients reported greater convenience of care than with WBI and reported less symptom severity at EOT and 4 weeks later. Conclusion Cosmetic outcomes were similar for the APBI and WBI groups, with small statistically significant differences in other outcomes that varied over time. Differences in fatigue and other symptoms appeared to resolve by ≥6 months. APBI may be preferred by some patients, for whom extended treatment is burdensome. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00103181. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) performed after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is a promising treatment for advanced‐stage oropharyngeal carcinoma (OPSCC) able to reduce the adjuvant therapy administration rate. Methods: A retrospective bi‐centric study was conducted to analyze NAC + TORS versus upfront TORS patients. A 1:1 propensity score matching was used to compare the two groups. Results: Among the 300 patients with stage III‐IV OPSCC, 204 patients were matched for comparing NAC + TORS versus upfront TORS. Between the two groups, no significant difference was observed in recurrences and in survival for RFS, OS, and DSS. In the NAC + TORS p16‐positive population, adjuvant therapy could be spared in 51% versus 16% in the upfront surgery cohort (p < 0.001) due to the lower frequency of pathological risk factors after NAC. Conclusions: NAC followed by TORS for locoregionally advanced OPSCC demonstrated to achieve non‐inferior survival outcomes to upfront surgery, while in the p16‐positive population allowed to significantly spare adjuvant therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]