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Recently, organ preservation has gained importance for head and neck malignancies. The negative consequences of the therapies can be reduced without compromising the survival and the quality of life. Accordingly, transoral robotic surgery (TORS) is gaining ground internationally. We have been performing TORS procedures at the University of Pécs since January 2023. We operated on 27 patients until July 2024, including fifteen p16-positive tumors. Neck dissections were performed in 19 cases. The use of TORS is helpful in oropharyngeal cases, where inaccessible structures can be reached minimally invasively, compared to other transoral approaches. This is important for young patients with human papillomavirus-associated tumors, which have a better prognosis and longer life expectancy. TORS also has advantages over the previously used approaches for cancer of unknown primary (CUP). Compared to the standardly used FDG-PET/CT and "blindly" taken biopsies, TORS offers a higher detection rate of the primary tumor, by performing tonsillectomy and complete mucosectomy of the tongue base.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of transoral robotic surgery (TORS) with the da Vinci robot system in the treatment of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). Methods: A mixed cohort study was conducted to collect and analyze the clinical data of OPSCC patients who underwent TORS at the Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University between July 2020 and February 2023 (TORS group). OPSCC patients who underwent conventional surgery between January 2016 and September 2020 were included as the control group. The baseline information, incidence of complications and follow-up data were compared between the two groups. Results: A total of 166 patients were included, with 102 cases (81 males and 21 females) in the TORS group [mean age: (59.1±9.8) years] and 64 cases (54 males and 10 females) in the control group [ mean age: (57.6±9.7) years]. Compared with the control group, the TORS group had lower postoperative bleeding rate [2.9% (3/102) vs 10.9% (7/64), P =0.035] and infection rate [1.0% (1/102) vs 18.8% (12/64), P <0.001]. No statistically significant differences were observed in tracheotomy rate [46.1% (47/102) vs 59.4% (38/64), P =0.070] and median length of hospital stay [8 (7, 10) d vs 10 (4, 12) d, P =0.088]. After propensity score matching, compared with the control group, the TORS group had lower postoperative infection rate [0 (0/31) vs 19.4% (6/31), P =0.032] and median length of hospital stay [7 (7, 10) d vs 10 (8, 12) d, P =0.031]. No statistically significant differences were found in postoperative bleeding rate [3.2% (1/31) vs 6.5% (2/31), P =1.000] and tracheotomy rate [22.6% (7/31) vs 45.2% (14/31), P =0.060] between the two groups. Moreover, 1-and 2-year disease-free survival rates were 96.3% and 94.6% in the TORS group, and 90.6% and 84.3% in the control group, respectively ( P =0.233). The 1-and 2-year cancer-specific survival rates were both 100% in the TORS group, and 96.9% and 93.8% in the control group, respectively ( P =0.539). Conclusion: TORS for OPSCC is associated with high clinical safety and favorable oncological outcomes.

Awake tracheostomy is rare in the pediatric population. We describe the case of a 10-year-old male who underwent awake tracheostomy due to airway obstruction from an oropharyngeal rhabdomyosarcoma. Given the varying medical understanding and communication skills in children, advanced planning and interdisciplinary collaboration are essential to keep the patient calm and safe during awake tracheostomy., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Background: The treatment of stage I-III HPV+ oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HPV-OPSCC) is based on either surgery ± adjuvant therapy or exclusive radio±chemotherapy. We sought to compare these two therapeutic strategies in terms of efficacy, tolerance and quality of life (QoL)., Methods: Patients treated for stage I-III HPV-OPSCC from 2010 to 2021 in 3 academic centers were included and sorted according to the treatment strategy: surgery or exclusive radio±chemotherapy. Efficacy and tolerance were retrospectively assessed, and a transversal exploratory QoL assessment was performed using QoL instruments., Results: A total of 83 patients were included, with 21 undergoing non-minimally invasive surgery and 62 receiving definitive radio-±chemotherapy. 2-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were respectively 80% and 86% in the surgical group and 92% and 95% in the non-surgical group, with no significant difference. At the end of treatment, 64.5% of patients presented with a grade III toxicity, without significant difference between the two groups. No patient had late grade III toxicity at 24 months. Forty-five patients (11 in the surgical group, 34 in the non-surgical group) participated in an exploratory quality-of-life analysis. Patients reported significantly more fatigue and loss of appetite after surgery, whereas patients in the radio±chemotherapy group described significantly more salivary and oral problems and difficulty swallowing, but the median time between treatment completion and the response to the questionnaires., Conclusion: There was no significant difference in efficacy, physician-reported toxicity and overall patient-reported quality of life was found between non-minimally invasive surgery and radio±chemotherapy in the treatment of stage I-III HPV-OPSCC., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Baude et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Objective: This study aims to compare the efficacy of the potassium-titanyl-phosphate (KTP) laser and cold steel surgery in treating oropharyngeal papilloma. Methods: Between 2017 and 2020, we enrolled 242 patients with oropharyngeal papilloma who were treated with either the KTP laser (n = 160) or cold steel surgery (n = 82). Patient charts were reviewed for demographic data (age and gender), pathology, anatomical location of lesions, operative duration, pain rating, residual disease, and recurrence. Results: The oropharyngeal papillomas were successfully removed in all patients, except one with a significant pharyngeal reflex. There was no significant difference in the average time for lesion resection between KTP laser and cold steel group (18.11 ± 13.96 s vs 19.43 ± 16.91 s, P > .05). However, all patients who underwent cold steel surgery experienced bleeding during the operation and required postoperative observation (about 20 min), making the total procedure time longer than that of the KTP laser procedure, which did not cause any intraoperative bleeding or require postoperative observation. After KTP laser treatment, the pain rating was .49 ± .98, whereas after cold steel surgery, it was .74 ± 1.12 ( P = .058). Twenty-five samples were sent for human papillomavirus (HPV) testing, and one tested positive for both HPV 6 and 11 strains, while another tested positive for HPV 16. No residual disease or recurrence was observed at the treatment sites after a long period of follow-up (M = 15.35 ± 10.79 mo; range = 6-39 mo). Conclusion: The KTP laser provided a better hemostasis effect and a good surgical field of vision during the operation, allowing the surgeon to complete the procedure in less time. No significant difference in terms of pain rating, incision recovery, and postoperative recurrence between the KTP laser treatment and cold steel surgery., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article..

Objective: Studies have demonstrated that tonsillectomy may alter the risk of oropharyngeal cancer (OPC). We systematically reviewed the evidence and pooled data to examine such an association., Methods: PubMed, Embase, and Scopus were searched up to 25 th April 2023. Studies reporting an association between tonsillectomy and oropharyngeal cancer risk at any site were included., Results: Five studies were eligible. All examined the risk of tonsillar and base of the tongue (BOT) cancer with prior history of tonsillectomy. On meta-analysis of the data, prior history of tonsillectomy was associated with a significantly decreased risk of tonsillar cancer. The second meta-analysis showed that history of tonsillectomy did not significantly alter the risk of BOT cancer. However, after exclusion of one study, the results showed an increased risk of BOT cancer with a history of tonsillectomy., Conclusions: The scarce data available in the literature suggests that tonsillectomy may reduce the risk of tonsillar cancer but does not alter the risk of BOT cancer. Further studies are needed to explore the association between tonsillectomy and the risk of OPC., (Copyright © 2024 Società Italiana di Otorinolaringoiatria e Chirurgia Cervico-Facciale, Rome, Italy.)

Background: De-escalation strategies for newly-diagnosed p16-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (p16+ OPSCC), aim to reduce treatment-related morbidity without compromising disease control. One strategy is neoadjuvant cisplatin and docetaxel chemotherapy (NAC + S) before transoral robotic surgery, with pathology-based risk-adapted adjuvant treatment., Methods: We examined the recurrence-free survival (RFS) for patients who received NAC + S., Results: Comparing outcomes in 103 patients between 2008 and 2023, 92% avoided adjuvant treatment and showed significantly higher 2-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) compared to those with adjuvant treatment (95.9% vs. 43.8%, p = 0.0049) CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that pathology-based risk-adapted omission of adjuvant treatment following NAC + S does not appear to elevate recurrence risk and that NAC may identify patients with favorable tumor biology, yielding a 2-year RFS probability exceeding 95% without adjuvant treatment. Further, the study identifies a patient subset experiencing disease recurrence despite triple modality therapy. Despite limitations, including a retrospective design and modest sample size, the data advocate for controlled NAC + S studies., (© 2024 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This article has been contributed to by U.S. Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.)

Background: Patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) treated with radiation-based therapy suffer from short- and long-term toxicities that affect quality of life (QOL). Transoral robotic surgery (TORS) has an established role in the management of early OPSCC but adjuvant treatment is often indicated postoperatively due to the high incidence of nodal metastasis associated with advanced human papillomavirus (HPV)-related OPSCC. To overcome the need for adjuvant radiation therapy (RT), neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by TORS and neck dissection (ND) is proposed. This study aimed to assess if QOL in HPV-associated OPSCC receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by TORS and ND returns to baseline within 12 months of completing treatment., Methods: A 12 month longitudinal study was carried out at McGill University Health Centre in Montreal, Canada, among a convenience sample of patients with American Joint Committee on Cancer Seventh Edition stage III and IVa HPV-related OPSCC who were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by TORS and ND. QOL data were obtained pretreatment and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months following treatment completion using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Core and Head and Neck extension modules. Paired t tests and mixed models for repeated measures analysis were used to assess changes in QOL from baseline to 12 months postoperatively and over time, respectively., Results: Nineteen of 23 patients (median age 58 years) who received the study treatment fulfilled the eligibility criteria. OPSCC subsites were palatine tonsil (n = 12) and base of tongue (n = 7). All 19 patients were treated per protocol and none required adjuvant RT as per pathology review and protocol requirements at a postoperative multidisciplinary team tumor board discussion. No significant differences were found when comparing 12 month QOL follow-up scores to pretreatment scores in measures that would likely be affected by RT [eg, swallowing ( P  = .7), social eating ( P  = .8), xerostomia ( P  = .9)]., Conclusion: In HPV-related OPSCC, neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by TORS and ND as definitive treatment is associated with excellent QOL outcomes. Postoperative QOL scores returned to baseline by 3 months and were maintained for all measures, indicating a return to normal function., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe authors declare that they have no competing interests.

According to an extensive database, the Objective is to compare surgical versus non-surgical treatment through Propensity Score (PS) for patients with Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OPSCC)., Methods: We retrospectively evaluated epidemiological data from 8075 patients with OPSCC diagnosed between 2004 and 2014 and used PS matching to analyze possible prognostic factors for its outcomes with regression analyses., Results: Cox multiple regression analysis to study survival after PS matching shows that type of treatment was associated with death with a hazard ratio of 1.753 (p<0.05) of non-surgical treatment. However, it was not associated with recurrence (p>0.05). In the surgical treatment group, overall survival was 79.9% at one year, 36.4% at five years, and 20.5% at ten years. Disease-free survival was 90.1%, 64.8%, and 56.0% at 1, 5, and 10-years, respectively. In the non-surgical treatment group, overall survival was 60.6% at one year, 21.8% at five years, and 12.7% at ten years. Disease-free survival was 90.8%, 67.2%, and 57.8% at 1, 5, and 10-years, respectively., Conclusion: Patients in the surgical treatment group had better outcomes related to survival. Recurrence is associated with the survival of OPSCC cancer. Recurrence-free survival is similar to both treatments., Level of Evidence: 2C., (Copyright © 2023 Associação Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia Cérvico-Facial. Published by Elsevier España S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the oncologic outcomes and prognostic factors of salvage treatments in patients with recurrent oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) after radiotherapy (RT)-based treatment., Materials and Methods: A cancer registry was used to retrieve the records of 337 patients treated with definitive RT or concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CRT) from 2008 to 2018 at a single institution. The poor-responder group (PRG) was defined as patients with residual or recurrent disease after primary treatment, and the oncologic outcomes for each salvage treatment method were analyzed. In addition, prognostic indicators of recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were identified in patients who underwent salvage treatment., Results: After initial (C)RT, the PRG comprised 71 of the 337 patients (21.1%): 18 patients had residual disease, and 53 had recurrence after primary treatment (mean time to recurrence 19.5 months). Of these, 63 patients received salvage treatment (surgery 57.2%, re-(C)RT 23.8%, and chemotherapy 19.0%), and the salvage success rate was 47.6% at the last follow-up. The overall 2-year OS for salvage treatments was 56.4% (60.8% for the salvage surgery group and 46.2% for the salvage re-(C)RT). Salvage surgery patients with negative resection margins had better oncologic outcomes than those with close/positive resection margins. Using multivariate analyses, locoregional recurrence and residual disease after primary surgery were associated with poor outcome after salvage treatment. In Kaplan-Meier analyses, p16 status was significantly associated with OS in the initial treatment setting but not in the salvage setting., Conclusion: In recurrent OPSCC after RT-based treatment, successful salvage was achieved in 56.4% patients who had undergone salvage surgery and radiation treatment. Salvage treatment methods should be selected carefully, given recurrence site as a prognostic factor for RFS.

Background: Surgery is a common treatment option in oral cavity cancer (and less frequently in oropharyngeal cancer) to remove the primary tumour and sometimes neck lymph nodes. People with early-stage disease may undergo surgery alone or surgery plus radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy/biotherapy, or a combination of these. Timing and extent of surgery varies. This is the third update of a review originally published in 2007., Objectives: To evaluate the relative benefits and harms of different surgical treatment modalities for oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers., Search Methods: We used standard, extensive Cochrane search methods. The latest search date was 9 February 2022., Selection Criteria: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that compared two or more surgical treatment modalities, or surgery versus other treatment modalities, for primary tumours of the oral cavity or oropharynx., Data Collection and Analysis: Our primary outcomes were overall survival, disease-free survival, locoregional recurrence, and recurrence; and our secondary outcomes were adverse effects of treatment, quality of life, direct and indirect costs to patients and health services, and participant satisfaction. We used standard Cochrane methods. We reported survival data as hazard ratios (HRs). For overall survival, we reported the HR of mortality, and for disease-free survival, we reported the combined HR of new disease, progression, and mortality; therefore, HRs below 1 indicated improvement in these outcomes. We used GRADE to assess certainty of evidence for each outcome., Main Results: We identified four new trials, bringing the total number of included trials to 15 (2820 participants randomised, 2583 participants analysed). For objective outcomes, we assessed four trials at high risk of bias, three at low risk, and eight at unclear risk. The trials evaluated nine comparisons; none compared different surgical approaches for excision of the primary tumour. Five trials evaluated elective neck dissection (ND) versus therapeutic (delayed) ND in people with oral cavity cancer and clinically negative neck nodes. Elective ND compared with therapeutic ND probably improves overall survival (HR 0.64, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.50 to 0.83; I 2 = 0%; 4 trials, 883 participants; moderate certainty) and disease-free survival (HR 0.56, 95% CI 0.45 to 0.70; I 2 = 12%; 5 trials, 954 participants; moderate certainty), and probably reduces locoregional recurrence (HR 0.58, 95% CI 0.43 to 0.78; I 2 = 0%; 4 trials, 458 participants; moderate certainty) and recurrence (RR 0.58, 95% CI 0.48 to 0.70; I 2 = 0%; 3 trials, 633 participants; moderate certainty). Elective ND is probably associated with more adverse events (risk ratio (RR) 1.31, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.54; I 2 = 0%; 2 trials, 746 participants; moderate certainty). Two trials evaluated elective radical ND versus elective selective ND in people with oral cavity cancer, but we were unable to pool the data as the trials used different surgical procedures. Neither study found evidence of a difference in overall survival (pooled measure not estimable; very low certainty). We are unsure if there is a difference in effect on disease-free survival (HR 0.57, 95% CI 0.29 to 1.11; 1 trial, 104 participants; very low certainty) or recurrence (RR 1.21, 95% CI 0.63 to 2.33; 1 trial, 143 participants; very low certainty). There may be no difference between the interventions in terms of adverse events (1 trial, 148 participants; low certainty). Two trials evaluated superselective ND versus selective ND, but we were unable to use the data. One trial evaluated supraomohyoid ND versus modified radical ND in 332 participants. We were unable to use any of the primary outcome data. The evidence on adverse events was very uncertain, with more complications, pain, and poorer shoulder function in the modified radical ND group. One trial evaluated sentinel node biopsy versus elective ND in 279 participants. There may be little or no difference between the interventions in overall survival (HR 1.00, 95% CI 0.90 to 1.11; low certainty), disease-free survival (HR 0.98, 95% CI 0.90 to 1.07; low certainty), or locoregional recurrence (HR 1.04, 95% CI 0.91 to 1.19; low certainty). The trial provided no usable data for recurrence, and reported no adverse events (very low certainty). One trial evaluated positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) following chemoradiotherapy (with ND only if no or incomplete response) versus planned ND (before or after chemoradiotherapy) in 564 participants. There is probably no difference between the interventions in overall survival (HR 0.92, 95% CI 0.65 to 1.31; moderate certainty) or locoregional recurrence (HR 1.00, 95% CI 0.94 to 1.06; moderate certainty). One trial evaluated surgery plus radiotherapy versus radiotherapy alone and provided very low-certainty evidence of better overall survival in the surgery plus radiotherapy group (HR 0.24, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.59; 35 participants). The data were unreliable because the trial stopped early and had multiple protocol violations. In terms of adverse events, subcutaneous fibrosis was more frequent in the surgery plus radiotherapy group, but there were no differences in other adverse events (very low certainty). One trial evaluated surgery versus radiotherapy alone for oropharyngeal cancer in 68 participants. There may be little or no difference between the interventions for overall survival (HR 0.83, 95% CI 0.09 to 7.46; low certainty) or disease-free survival (HR 1.07, 95% CI 0.27 to 4.22; low certainty). For adverse events, there were too many outcomes to draw reliable conclusions. One trial evaluated surgery plus adjuvant radiotherapy versus chemotherapy. We were unable to use the data for any of the outcomes reported (very low certainty)., Authors' Conclusions: We found moderate-certainty evidence based on five trials that elective neck dissection of clinically negative neck nodes at the time of removal of the primary oral cavity tumour is superior to therapeutic neck dissection, with increased survival and disease-free survival, and reduced locoregional recurrence. There was moderate-certainty evidence from one trial of no difference between positron emission tomography (PET-CT) following chemoradiotherapy versus planned neck dissection in terms of overall survival or locoregional recurrence. The evidence for each of the other seven comparisons came from only one or two studies and was assessed as low or very low-certainty., (Copyright © 2023 The Cochrane Collaboration. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

The most common cancer caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in the United States is oropharyngeal cancer (OPC), and its incidence has been rising since the turn of the century. Because of substantial long-term morbidities with chemoradiation and the favorable prognosis of HPV-positive OPC, identifying the optimal deintensification strategy for this group has been a keystone of academic head-and-neck surgery, radiation oncology, and medical oncology for over the past decade. However, the first generation of randomized chemotherapy deintensification trials failed to change the standard of care, triggering concern over the feasibility of de-escalation. National database studies estimate that up to one third of patients receive nonstandard de-escalated treatments, which have subspecialty-specific nuances. A synthesis of the multidisciplinary deintensification data and current treatment standards is important for the oncology community to reinforce best practices and ensure optimal patient outcomes. In this review, the authors present a summary and comparison of prospective HPV-positive OPC de-escalation trials. Chemotherapy attenuation compromises outcomes without reducing toxicity. Limited data comparing transoral robotic surgery (TORS) with radiation raise concern over toxicity and outcomes with TORS. There are promising data to support de-escalating adjuvant therapy after TORS, but consensus on treatment indications is needed. Encouraging radiation deintensification strategies have been reported (upfront dose reduction and induction chemotherapy-based patient selection), but level I evidence is years away. Ultimately, stage and HPV status may be insufficient to guide de-escalation. The future of deintensification may lie in incorporating intratreatment response assessments to harness the powers of personalized medicine and integrate real-time surveillance., (© 2022 The Authors. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Cancer Society.)

Objective: According to the different characteristics of patients and cervical lymph node metastasis of oral and oropharyngeal cancer, the marginal mandibular branches of facial nerves were treated by different surgical procedures, and the safety and protective effects of different surgical procedures were investigated., Methods: One hundred ninety-seven patients with oral and oropharyngeal cancer satisfying the inclusion criteria were selected. According to the different characteristics of patients and cervical metastatic lymph nodes, three different surgical procedures were used to treat the marginal mandibular branches of the facial nerve: finding and exposing the marginal mandibular branches of the facial nerves at the mandibular angles of the platysma flaps, finding and exposing the marginal mandibular branches of facial nerves at the intersections of the distal ends of facial arteries and veins with the mandible, and not exposing the marginal mandibular branches of the facial nerves. The anatomical position, injury, and complications of the marginal mandibular branches of the facial nerves were observed., Results: The marginal mandibular branches of the facial nerves were found and exposed at the mandibular angles of the platysma flaps in 102 patients; the marginal mandibular branches of facial nerves were found and exposed at the intersections of the distal ends of the facial arteries and veins with the mandibles in 64 patients; the marginal mandibular branches of facial nerves were not exposed in 31 patients; among them, four patients had permanent injury of the marginal mandibular branches of the facial nerves, and temporary injury occurred in seven patients. There were statistically significant differences in the protection of the mandibular marginal branch of the facial nerve among the three different surgical methods (P = 0.0184). The best protective effect was to find and expose the mandibular marginal branch of the facial nerve at the mandibular angle of the platysma muscle flap, and the injury rate was only 2.94%., Conclusion: The three different surgical procedures were all safe and effective in treating the marginal mandibular branches of the facial nerves, the best protective effect was to find and expose the mandibular marginal branch of the facial nerve at the mandibular angle of the platysma muscle flap., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Objective: To analyze the clinical effect of free posterior lateral peroneal artery perforator flap of lower leg in repairing postoperative defect of oropharyngeal carcinoma. Methods: Thirty-six patients with oropharyngeal carcinoma admitted to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College from June 2016 to June 2019 were analyzed and followed up, eighteen patients were treated with free posterior lateral peroneal artery perforator flap of the lower leg to repair the postoperative defects（experimental group）, and eighteen patients were treated with free forearm flap（control group）. The survival rate of the transplanted flap, the wound stageⅠhealing rate and average hospitalization time were compared between the two groups. Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the 1-year and 3-year survival rates of patients after operation, and log-rank test was used to compare the difference between the survival curves of the two groups; The recovery of swallowing and palatopharyngeal closure function of patients in the two groups at 3, 6, 12 and 18 months after operation was calculated and statistically analyzed through the water swallow test and the air blowing method. Results: There was one case of skin flap necrosis in both the experimental group and the control group, and the survival rate was 94.4%. The wound stageⅠhealing rate in the surgical area was 94.4% in both groups. The wound healing rates of the donor area in the experimental group and the control group were 100.0% and 94.4% respectively. The average hospitalization time of the experimental group and the control group was 16.9 days and 17.2 days, respectively, with no significant difference （ P >0.05）. The overall survival rates of all patients at 1-year and 3-year were 91.2% and 66.5% respectively; The 1-year and 3-year survival rates of the experimental group and the control group were 94.1%, 69.3% and 88.2%, 63.7%, respectively, and there was no significant difference between the two groups （ P >0.05）. The 1-year and 3-year survival rates of P16+ and P16 - patients were 100.0%, 80.0% and 85.7%, 64.3%, respectively, and there was no significant difference between the two groups （ P >0.05）. There was no significant difference in the evaluation of swallowing and velopharyngeal closure function between the two groups at 3 and 6 months after operation （ P >0.05）, but there was a significant difference at 12 and 18 months after operation （ P <0.05）. Conclusion: The anatomic position of the perforating vessels of the free posterior lateral peroneal artery perforator flap of the lower leg is constant, and it can be prepared into single leaf, multi leaf, chimeric and other flaps according to the tissue defect space. And the concealed supply area can be directly drawn to suture. At the same time, the skin flap has strong plasticity. Therefore, the skin flap can be used as a common skin flap to repair the defects after the operation of oropharyngeal carcinoma., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Editorial Department of Journal of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.)

Objectives: Occult cervical lymph node metastasis is the most important reason for recurrence of early-stage tongue cancer and oropharyngeal cancer. Cervical sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy may help to identify them. Pigment dyes and radionuclide were used to label SLN. Both of them had shortage. This study aims to investigate the application and clinical value of indocyanine green fluorescence imaging in cervical SLN biopsy for patients with early-stage tongue cancer and oropharyngeal cancer., Methods: Retrospective analysis was conducted on 23 patients with early tongue cancer and oropharyngeal cancer, who received surgical treatment and used indocyanine green as a tracer to find SLN in Hunan Cancer Hospital from April to October 2021. The detection rate of SLN was calculated and the distribution of SLN in different regions of the neck was analyzed., Results: SLN was successfully identified in 22 of 23 patients, with a detection rate of 95.65%. Among these 22 patients, 3 patients were found to have cancer metastasis, and the rate of occult lymph node metastasis was 13.63%. No pathologically positive lymph nodes were detected in SLN-negative patients, and thus the positive predictive rate was 100%. For patients with primary lesions located in the anterior 2/3 of the tongue, the constituent ratios of SLN in neck area I, II, III, and IV were 15.15%, 71.72%, 13.13%, and 0, respectively. For patients with primary lesions located in base of the tongue, the constituent ratios of SLN in neck area I, II, III, and IV were 0, 44.44%, 44.44%, and 11.12%, respectively., Conclusions: Indocyanine green fluorescence imaging has a high detection rate with accurate positive prediction in the anterior cervical SLN biopsy in patients with early-stage tongue cancer and oropharyngeal cancer. Meanwhile, it can also reflect the lymphatic drainage of tumors located at different primary sites, which has high clinical value.

Background: Risk of contralateral nodal metastases in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) is relatively low, however, many OPSCC patients receive bilateral neck treatment. This study evaluates the oncological outcomes with management of the contralateral cN0 neck based on lymphatic mapping with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT-CT)., Methods: Retrospective evaluation of patients with lateralized cT1-2 and contralateral cN0 OPSCC treated with primary surgery between December 2017 and October 2019. All patients underwent pre-operative lymphatic mapping using SPECT-CT. Clinical parameters including demographics, tumor characteristics and oncological outcomes were recorded., Results: Thirteen patients underwent primary site resection with transoral robotic surgery (TORS) and ipsilateral neck dissection with or without adjuvant therapy. Twelve patients (92.3%) had ipsilateral drainage on SPECT-CT, whereas 1 (7.7%) patient had bilateral neck lymphatic drainage. Four patients (30.8%) underwent post-operative radiation therapy (PORT). Three patients with unilateral drainage on SPECT-CT underwent PORT with unilateral neck irradiation, and 1 patient with bilateral drainage underwent PORT with bilateral neck irradiation. Seven (53.8%) patients were staged as pT1, 6 (46.2%) patients as pT2, 6 (46.2%) patients were pN0, 3 (23.1%) patients were pN1, 1 (7.7%) patient was pN2a for and 3 (23.1%) patients were N2b. The median distance of the tumor from midline was 1.05 cm (0.0-1.58). Primary sites included tonsil (n = 10, 76.9%) and tongue base (n = 3, 23.1%). The median follow-up time was 15.4 months. All patients were disease free at the latest follow-up with no contralateral neck failures., Conclusions: Pre-operative mapping of lymphatic drainage in early stage OPSCC with SPECT-CT is a promising tool which can reduce treatment to the contralateral neck potentially without compromising oncological outcomes., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background/purpose: Locally advanced tongue or tongue base cancer is recommended to be treated by radical resection that is usually detrimental to physiological functions. This study reports the efficacy and treatment outcome of the patients who had received total glossectomy and laryngeal suspension without lip-split mandibulotomy and free flap reconstruction to preserve laryngopharyngeal function., Methods: From 2010 to 2018, 37 consecutive patients who had received the surgery were retrospectively recruited., Results: The overall five-year survival is 72%. The postoperative dependent rate of feeding tube and tracheostomy largely decreases within 1-year follow-up. Treated by this surgical method, these patients are free from facial disfiguration, donor site morbidity, and destructive mastication and occlusion. It is also feasible to perform this surgical technique in the recurrent cases previously treated by chemoradiation., Conclusion: Total glossectomy with laryngeal suspension can be successfully applied to locally advanced tongue or tongue base cancer, and benefits the patients with improved survival and preserved physiological function. Especially surgeons for free flap reconstruction are understaffed at some regional or district hospitals., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The author declared that there is no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Formosan Medical Association. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The surgical treatment of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) has undergone a considerable evolution, with, among others, transoral robotic surgery (TORS). However, TORS is rarely used for the surgery of soft palate. A 73-year-old man presented a human papilloma virus OSCC of the posterior soft palate. The tumor was resected using TORS. This report describes the surgical technique step by step of the tumor resection. The resection of early stage OSCC of the posterior surface of soft palate is possible through TORS. The procedure is noninvasive, rapid, and seems to be associated with excellent functional outcomes.

Objectives: The pathologic nodal stage of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) patients is classified according to the number of lymph nodes (LNs), as revised in 2018. Previous studies showed that the LN ratio (LNR) could be also a significant prognostic factor in head and neck cancer, but there are few studies on the LNR in HPV-related [HPV(+)] OPC. The aim of the present study was to analyze the predictive value of the LNR for survival and recurrence in HPV(+) OPC patients., Materials and Methods: HPV(+) OPC patients treated with surgery with or without postoperative radiotherapy from January 2000 to March 2019 were evaluated. The patients were divided into two sets of three groups, according to LN numbers based on pathologic nodal stages, and LNRs by a cutoff value of 0.05. The medical records were reviewed, and the overall survival (OS), disease-free survival, locoregional recurrence, and distant metastasis incidence were analyzed., Results: Ninty patients were included and the median follow-up period was 38.2 months. There were no significant differences in OS in the LN number groups. However, there was a significant difference in OS in the LNR groups (P = 0.010). The incidence of distant metastasis in the LNR groups was significantly different (P = 0.005)., Conclusion: The LNR in HPV(+) OPC patients may be a more useful tool to predict survival and distant metastasis than the LN number. Additional research and consensus on surgical pathology are needed before applying the LNR to adjuvant treatment decisions and pathologic nodal staging., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Objective: to show an overview on the treatments' options for stage I and II oropharyngeal carcinomasquamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC)., Background: The traditional primary treatment modality of OPSCC at early stages is intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). Trans-oral robotic surgery (TORS) has offered as an alternative, less invasive surgical option. Patients with human papilloma virus (HPV)-positive OPSCC have distinct staging with better overall survival in comparison with HPV-negative OPSCC patients., Methods: a comprehensive review of the English language literature was performed using PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and CENTRAL electronic databases., Conclusions: Many trials started examining the role of TORS in de-escalating treatment to optimize functional consequences while maintaining oncologic outcome. The head-neck surgeon has to know the current role of TORS in HPV-positive and negative OPSCC and the ongoing trials that will influence its future implementation. The feasibility of this treatment, the outcomes ensured, and the side effects are key factors to consider for each patient. The variables reported in this narrative review are pieces of a bigger puzzle called tailored, evidence-based driven medicine. Future evidence will help in the construction of robust and adaptive algorithms in order to ensure the adequate treatment for the OPSCC at early stages.

Objective: This study aims to provide real-world data on oncologic and functional outcomes of the most modern surgical and non-surgical treatments of locally advanced HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer., Methods: We reviewed data on patients treated for stage III and IV HPV-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma with either endoscopic surgery (Transoral Robotic Surgery, TORS; Transoral Laser Microsurgery, TLM - group A) or intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT - group B). The minimum follow-up required was 6 months. Survival outcomes and toxicities of treatments were evaluated., Results: 30 patients in group A and 66 in group B were eligible for the analysis. 28% of patients in group A underwent a unimodal treatment, while 42% needed trimodal treatment. 90% of patients in group B underwent concurrent chemoradiation. We found no statistically significant difference in survival outcomes (group A: overall survival 97%, progression-free survival 83%; group B: OS 98%, PFS 86%) or toxicities between groups., Conclusions: Both transoral surgery and IMRT provide excellent outcomes in HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer. Because of the good prognosis, treatments need to be refined to reduce toxicities while preserving oncologic soundness., (Copyright © 2022 Società Italiana di Otorinolaringoiatria e Chirurgia Cervico-Facciale, Rome, Italy.)

Purpose: To explore the effect of human papillomavirus (HPV) status on prognosis and further investigate whether human papillomavirus (HPV) status has an impact on the local treatment strategies for T1-2N0 oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer (OPSCC) patients., Methods: Patients diagnosed with T1-2N0 OPSCC between 2010 and 2015 were included from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Data were analyzed using propensity score matching (PSM), Chi-square test, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, and Cox multivariable analyses., Results: A total of 1,004 patients were identified, of whom 595 (59.3%) had HPV-related tumors. Of all the patients, 386 (38.4%) and 618 (61.6%) received definitive radiotherapy and radical surgery, respectively. HPV status had no significant effect on local treatment strategies for early-stage OPSCC ( P = 0.817). The 3-year cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) were 89.6 and 80.1%, respectively. Compared to those with HPV-negative diseases, patients with HPV-positive diseases had better CSS and OS. A total of 222 pairs of patients were completely matched after PSM. The results of multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that patients with HPV-positive disease had significantly better CSS ( P = 0.001) and OS ( P < 0.001) compared to those with HPV-negative tumors. However, local treatment strategy was not associated with survival outcomes after PSM (CSS, P = 0.771; OS, P = 0.440). The subgroup analysis showed comparable CSS and OS between those treated with radical surgery and definitive radiotherapy regardless of HPV status., Conclusions: HPV status is an independent prognostic factor for the survival of stage T1-2N0 OPSCC patients. Local treatment strategies had no significant effect on the survival of early-stage OPSCC regardless of HPV status. Patients with early-stage OPSCC should be informed regarding the pros and cons of definitive radiotherapy or radical surgery., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Zhou, Chen, Lian, Wu and Zhang.)

Objectives: Adjuvant radiotherapy is the standard of care in locally advanced head and neck cancers. The radiation field is correlated with the surgical field in the adjuvant radiotherapy setting; therefore, tailoring the irradiation field is reasonable., Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed patients with oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers included in the cancer registry between 2015 and 2019 in the study hospital. Patients who underwent whole-neck irradiation (WNI) were compared with those who underwent lower-neck-sparing (LNS) irradiation., Results: A total of 167 patients with oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers were included in the study. Cancer recurrence was recorded in 33% of the patients. The rate of recurrence of oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer at neck level IV was 8%. The 2-year incidence of level IV recurrence was lower in the WNI group than in the LNS group (2% vs. 10%; p = 0.04). The 2-year disease-free survival rates were 75% and 63% in the WNI and LNS groups, respectively (p = 0.08)., Conclusion: The rate of level IV recurrence was higher in the LNS group than in the WNI group. Trends of improvement in disease-free survival with lower-neck irradiation suggested that it is premature to consider LNS irradiation as daily practice in patients with oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Purpose: This study aimed to compare the outcomes of primary radiotherapy (RT) versus surgery in early-stage human papilloma virus-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (hpv+OPC), and investigate the preoperative clinical factors that can predict the requirement for postoperative adjuvant treatment., Materials and Methods: This multicenter study included 166 patients with American Joint Committee on Cancer 8th edition-Stages I-II hpv+OPC. Sixty (36.1%) and 106 (63.9%) patients underwent primary (concurrent chemo)radiotherapy [(CC)RT] and surgery, respectively. Seventy-eight patients (73.6%) in the surgery group received postoperative (CC)RT., Results: With a median follow-up of 45.6 months for survivors, the 2-year overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and locoregional control (LC) for RT/surgery were 97.8%/96.4%, 91.1%/92.0%, and 92.9%/93.3%, respectively. In multivariate analyses, patients with synchronous radiologic extranodal extension and conglomeration (ENEcong) of metastatic lymph nodes (LNs) showed significantly poorer OS (p=0.047), PFS (p=0.001), and LC (p=0.003). In patients undergoing primary surgery, two or more clinically positive LN metastases (odds ratio [OR], 5.15; p=0.004) and LN metastases with ENEcong (OR, 3.75; p=0.009) were predictors of postoperative chemoradiotherapy. No patient in the primary RT group demonstrated late severe toxicity whereas three (2.8%), one (0.9%), and one (0.9%) patient in the surgery group showed grade 3 dysphagia, grade 3 xerostomia, and fatal oral cavity bleeding., Conclusion: We found no differences in OS, PFS, and LC between upfront RT and surgery in stage I-II hpv+OPC which warrants comparison through a prospective trial in the treatment de-escalation era. However, most early-stage hpv+OPC patients undergoing surgery received adjuvant (CC)RT. Pretreatment LN findings were prognostic and predictive for adjuvant treatment.

Introduction: Transoral surgery for head and neck cancer provides excellent oncologic outcomes while preserving speech and swallowing function. When neck dissection and resection of oropharynx are performed concomitantly, there is a risk of creating a communication defect or developing a pharyngocutaneous fistula. To prevent pharyngocutaneous fistula, we performed the reconstruction using a posteriorly based lateral tongue flap for communication defect., Patient: A 72-year-old male with oropharyngeal cancer (tonsil cancer) T2N1M0 underwent concomitant transoral videolaryngoscopic surgery and neck dissection. The lateral wall of the oropharynx was resected with the pharynx constrictor muscle and parapharyngeal fat due to infiltration of the parapharyngeal space by the tonsil cancer. The posteriorly based lateral tongue flap was used to close the perforation. There was no leakage to the neck postoperatively. The patient had no problem with phonation or oral intake and remained free of disease at 12 months after treatment., Conclusion: For a small defect confined to the oropharyngeal lateral wall, the posteriorly based lateral tongue flap should be considered as a useful option for reconstruction of the oropharynx without impairment of posterior function.

Background: Report the incidence of contralateral nodal failure rates in well-lateralized oropharyngeal carcinoma treated with upfront surgery and unilateral neck management., Methods: Lateralized oropharyngeal carcinomas treated with upfront surgery using transoral robotic surgery (TORS) and unilateral neck management (unilateral neck dissection ± unilateral radiation treatment) were identified. Primary endpoint was contralateral regional control (CRC). Secondary endpoints were local control (LC), and overall survival (OS)., Results: Thirty-two patients were included. Pathologic T categories included 66% pT1, 31% pT2 and 3% pT3. Nodal diseases comprised 41% N0 and 47% N1 (AJCC 8th). Twenty-three (72%) patients had HPV related tumors. 3-years CRC, LC and OS were 100%, 96% (89-100) and 96% (CI 89-100). One patient developed a second primary with contralateral nodal disease. Only one patient died from another primary cancer., Conclusion: In selected patients with lateralized oropharyngeal cancer, treatment with TORS and ipsilateral management of the neck may be oncologically safe without significant risk of contralateral failure., Level of Evidence: Level 2., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Objective: To investigate the oropharyngeal function recovery of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma repaired by anterolateral thigh flap and forearm flap. Methods: Retrospective study between September 2016 and September 2020 complete line 37 cases of oropharyngeal cancer postoperative soft tissue defect of femoral anterolateral flap or forearm flap to repair the patient data, in which 22 cases, using the forearm skin flap to repair 15 cases with femoral anterolateral flap, flap survival rate of preparation, compare the two groups, the incidence of vascular crisis, The functions of swallowing, speech, and velopharyngeal closure were evaluated. Results: 21 cases of forearm flaps survived, and 1 case had vascular crisis. After surgical exploration, the contralateral forearm flaps survived transplantation. Fourteen anterolateral femoral flaps survived, 2 flaps had vascular crisis, and 1 flap survived after thrombus removal. The other one was repaired with pectoralis major myocutaneous flap for necrosis. Swallowing, speech, palatopharyngeal closure and other functions of the patients after the two kinds of flap repair had higher satisfaction. Conclusion: Forearm flap and anterolateral thigh flap are good choices for soft tissue defect after oropharyngeal cancer, Must act according to the special details choice appropriate therapeutic schedule., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Editorial Department of Journal of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.)

Introduction: Human papilloma virus (HPV)-positive oropharyngeal cancer carries a good prognosis when managed with primary chemoradiotherapy. However, the dramatically increasing rate of this disease means more patients are now developing recurrence, with surgery remaining the mainstay of treatment. Despite this, there is no agreed technique for excision of recurrent oropharyngeal cancer., Objective: We describe the transoral robotic technique employed by our head and neck multidisciplinary team (MDT) in the management of patients with recurrent HPV positive oropharyngeal cancer and assess their symptom severity using quality of life and swallowing questionnaires., Method: Three (2 males:1 female, mean age 60.7 years) patients with recurrent or residual p16 positive oropharyngeal cancer following radical chemoradiotherapy were identified. All patients underwent selective neck dissection, tracheostomy, and transoral robotic surgery (TORS)-assisted partial oropharyngeal resection with the resultant defect closed with a robotic assisted radial forearm free flap (RFFF). Patient quality of life, symptom severity, and swallowing were assessed pre- and postoperatively using the University of Washington Quality of Life score and MD Anderson Dysphagia Index (MDADI)., Results: Histopathological examination revealed complete clearance of the primary lesion in all cases. Two patients made uneventful recoveries, while one patient developed a chest infection and tracheocutaneous fistula managed conservatively. Mean inpatient stay was 15 days (range 8-27). University of Washington Quality of Life and MDADI scores showed a mild improvement in symptoms following surgery., Conclusion: Surgical management of recurrent oropharyngeal cancer remains a technical challenge; however, MDT discussion and judicious use of TORS oropharyngeal resection and RFFF can result in good oncological and quality of life outcomes with acceptable postoperative complications and symptoms.

Background: In the past few decades, a re-evaluation of treatment paradigms of head and neck cancers with a desire to spare patients the treatment-related toxicities of open surgery, has led to the development of new minimally invasive surgical techniques to improve outcomes. Besides Transoral Laser Microsurgery (TLM), a new robotic surgical technique namely Transoral Robotic Surgery (TORS) emerged for the first time as one of the two most prominent and widely used minimally invasive surgical approaches particularly for the treatment of oropharyngeal cancer, a sub-entity of head and neck cancers. Recent population-level data suggest equivalent tumor control, but different total costs, and need for adjuvant chemoradiation. A comparative analysis of these two techniques is therefore warranted from the cost-utility (C/U) point of view., Methods: A cost-utility analysis for comparing TORS and TLM was performed using a decision-analytical model. The analyses adopted the perspective of a Swiss hospital. Two tertiary referral centers in Lausanne and Zurich provided data for model quantificantion., Results: In the base case analysis TLM dominates TORS. This advantage remains robust, even if the costs for TORS reduce by up to 25%. TORS begins to dominate TLM, if less than 59,7% patients require adjuvant treatment, whereby in an interval between 55 and 62% cost effectiveness of TORS is sensitive to the prescription of adjuvant chemoradiation therapy (CRT). Exceeding 29% of TLM patients requiring a revision of surgical margins renders TORS more cost-effective., Conclusion: Non-robotic endoscopic surgery (TLM) is more cost-effective than robotic endoscopic surgery (TORS) for the treatment of oropharyngeal cancers. However, this advantage is sensitive to various parameters, i.e.to the number of re-operations and adjuvant treatment., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

In patients of oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancers, resection of the tumor and reconstruction of the defect may reduce the framework, add a bulky flap, alter the tissue flexibility, and contribute to postoperative obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Postoperative OSA and the potential consequences may decrease the survival rate and reduce patients' quality of life. It is unclear whether the surgery is associated with postoperative OSA. Here, we compared the polysomnographies (PSGs) before and after the surgery in 15 patients of oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancers (out of 68 patients of head and neck cancers) without a chemo- or radio-therapy. Each patient received the second PSG before the start of any indicated adjuvant therapy to prevent its interference. There were 14 men and 1 woman, with a mean age and a standard deviation (SD, same in the following) of 56.2 ± 12.8 years. There were 6 tongue cancers, 5 buccal cancers, 2 tonsil cancer, 1 lower gum cancer, and 1 trigone cancer. The results show that the surgery changed sleep parameters insignificantly in apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), mean oxyhemoglobin saturation of pulse oximetry (SpO2), minimum SpO2, mean desaturation, and desaturation index but increased mean heart rate in the patients with free flaps. These results hint that the effect of surgery on developing OSA was small in this sample, with a longer plate or a larger framework for a bulkier free flap. It needs future studies with a large sample size to generalize this first observation., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2021 Ethan I. Huang et al.)

Objective: To investigate the treatment effect of oral and oropharyngeal cancer resection through oral approach. Methods: Forty-eight patients who with oral and oropharyngeal cancer were admitted to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical College from January 2015 to January 2018, and all received preoperative chemotherapy, surgical treatment and postoperative radiotherapy. Among them, twenty-four patients who were treated with tumor resection through oral approach in the experimental group, the other twenty-four patients were treated with tumor resection by external approach in the control group. During the operation, both groups of patients were underwent selective neck lymph node dissection and free skin flap transplantation, and preventive radiotherapy were performed after the operation. The operation time, blood loss, and the positive rate of the wound around the wound and the undercut margin of the two groups were compared, and the survival rate of the skin flap was analyzed. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the survival rate after 3 years of regular follow-up after surgery, and the difference between the curves of the two surgical methods were compared by the Log-rank test, and the quality of life of patients in one year after operation was investigated and analyzed by Washington University students'quality questionnaire 4. Results: The operation time and blood loss of the experimental group were less than the control group, but the difference was not statistically significant（ P >0.05）. The positive rate of frozen margins in both groups was 0. The flap survival rate was 95.8% in the experimental group and 91.7% in the control group, there was no significant difference between the two groups（ P >0.05）, the overall flap survival rate in the two groups was 93.8%. The survival rates of the experimental group were 91.7%, 83.3%, and 74.8% in the 1-, 2-, and 3-years after surgery, and 87.5%, 79.2%, and 75.0% in the control group, there was no statistically significant difference between the experimental group and the control group（ P >0.05）. The 1-year, 2-year and 3-year overall survival rates of the two groups were 93.1%, 83.7% and 78.8% respectively. Compared with the control group, the scores of appearance, activity, recreation, swallowing, chewing, speech and mood in the experimental group were significantly higher（ P <0.05）. Conclusion: Resection of oral cancer tumors through the oral approach with free skin flap repair is in line with the concept of minimally invasive surgery, which improves the quality of life of patients after surgery while ensuring the survival rate, and is worthy of clinical application and promotion., Competing Interests: The authors of this article and the planning committee members and staff have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose., (Copyright© by the Editorial Department of Journal of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.)

Introduction: Incidental papillomas of the pharynx can be found while examining the nasopharynx, oropharynx, and hypopharynx for other disorders of the head and neck. Purpose of the study is to explore the location, biopsy protocol, and decision to perform office-based versus operative management via potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP) laser when an oropharyngeal papilloma is discovered incidentally., Methods: A retrospective review of the senior author's patient population was performed using Current Procedural Terminology and/or International Classification of Diseases codes to identify patients who had KTP laser removal of incidental oropharyngeal papillomas. Patients were included based on the incidental nature of the papilloma and confirmed pathology report of squamous papilloma. Demographics, presenting complaint, lesion location, pathological analysis, type of intervention, and outcomes were recorded. When available, human papillomavirus (HPV) subtype was noted., Results: A total of 26 cases were identified, 13 females and 13 males. The median age at time of surgery was 58 years (range: 21-77). The most common presenting symptoms were difficulty swallowing and throat pain. The most common locations were the base of tongue, uvula, tonsils, and the soft palate. Of the 26 patients, 23 patients received KTP laser ablation therapy as an office-based procedure, while the remaining 3 were performed under general anesthesia in the operating room. Only 5 patients had a recorded recurrence that required reoperation. There were no operative or postoperative complications. There were 16 biopsy samples tested for HPV, where 12 were negative for HPV and 4 were positive for HPV., Conclusion: Oropharyngeal papillomas, when present, can be found incidentally during examination of the oropharynx for other symptoms. Office-based biopsy and KTP laser is a safe and efficient means of identifying and removing most oropharyngeal papillomas.

Objective: Evaluate the oncologic outcomes and cost analysis of transitioning to a specimen oriented intraoperative margin assessment protocol from a tumour bed sampling protocol in oral cavity (OCSCC) and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC)., Study Design: Retrospective case series and subsequent prospective cohort study SETTING: Tertiary care academic teaching hospital SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Retrospective case series of all institutional T1-T2 OCSCC or OPSCC treated with primary surgery between January 1st 2009 - December 31st 2014. Kaplan-Meier survival estimates with log rank tests were used to compare patients based on final margin status. Cost analysis was performed for escalation of therapy due to positive final margins. Following introduction of a specimen derived margin protocol, successive prospective cohort study of T1-T4 OCSCC or OPSCC treated with primary surgery from January 1st 2017 - December 31st 2018. Analysis and comparison of both protocols included review of intraoperative margins, final pathology and treatment cost., Results: Analysis of our intra-operative tumour bed frozen section protocol revealed 15 of 116 (12.9%) patients had positive final pathology margins, resulting in post-operative escalation of therapy for 14/15 patients in the form of re-resection (7/14), radiation therapy (6/14) and chemoradiotherapy (1/14). One other patient with positive final margins received escalated therapy for additional negative prognostic factors. Recurrence free survival at 3 years was 88.4 and 50.7% for negative and positive final margins respectively (p = 0.048). Implementation of a specimen oriented frozen section protocol resulted in 1 of 111 patients (0.9%) having positive final pathology margins, a statistically significant decrease (p < 0.001). Utilizing our specimen oriented protocol, there was an absolute risk reduction for having a final positive margin of 12.0% and relative risk reduction of 93.0%. Estimated cost avoidance applying the specimen oriented protocol to our previous cohort was $412,052.812017 CAD., Conclusion: Implementation of a specimen oriented intraoperative margin protocol provides a statistically significant decrease in final positive margins. This change in protocol leads to decreased patient morbidity by avoiding therapy escalation attributable only to positive margins, and avoids the economic costs of these treatments.

Background: Treatment of human papillomavirus-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HPVOPC) results in unprecedented high survival rates but possibly unnecessary toxicity. We hypothesized that upfront surgery and neck dissection followed by reduced-dose adjuvant therapy for early and intermediate HPVOPC would ultimately result in equivalent progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival while reducing toxicity., Methods: This study was a nonrandomized phase II trial for early-stage HPVOPC treated with transoral robotic surgery (TORS) followed by reduced-dose radiotherapy. Patients with previously untreated p16-positive HPVOPC and <20 pack years' smoking history were enrolled. After robotic surgery, patients were assigned to group 1 (no poor risk features; surveillance), group 2 (intermediate pathologic risk factors [perineural invasion, lymphovascular invasion]; 50-Gy radiotherapy), or group 3 (poor prognostic pathologic factors [extranodal extension [ENE], more than three positive lymph nodes and positive margin]; concurrent 56-Gy chemoradiotherapy with weekly cisplatin)., Results: Fifty-four patients were evaluable; there were 25 in group 1, 15 in group 2, and 14 in group 3. Median follow-up was 43.9 months (9.6-75.8). Disease-specific survival was 98.1%, and PFS was 90.7%. PFS probability via Kaplan-Meier was 91.3% for group 1, 86.7% for group 2, and 93.3% for group 3. There were five locoregional failures (LRFs), including one distant metastasis and one contralateral second primary. Average time to LRF was 18.9 months (9.6-59.0); four LRFs were successfully salvaged, and the patients remain disease free (11.0-42.7 months); one subject remains alive with disease., Conclusion: The results indicate that upfront surgery with neck dissection with reduced-dose radiation for T1-2, N1 stage (by the eighth edition American Joint Committee on Cancer staging manual) HPVOPC results in favorable survival with excellent function in this population. These results support radiation dose reduction after TORS as a de-escalation strategy in HPVOPC., Implications for Practice: Transoral robotic surgery can provide a safe platform for de-escalation in carefully selected patients with early-stage human papillomavirus-related oropharyngeal cancer. In this clinical trial, disease-specific survival was 100%, over 90% of the cohort had a reduction of therapy from standard of care with excellent functional results, and the five patients with observed locoregional failures were successfully salvaged., (© 2021 AlphaMed Press.)

Objective: To demonstrate the diagnostic ability of label-free, point-scanning, fiber-based Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging (FLIm) as a means of intraoperative guidance during oral and oropharyngeal cancer removal surgery., Methods: FLIm point-measurements acquired from 53 patients (n = 67893 pre-resection in vivo, n = 89695 post-resection ex vivo) undergoing oral or oropharyngeal cancer removal surgery were used for analysis. Discrimination of healthy tissue and cancer was investigated using various FLIm-derived parameter sets and classifiers (Support Vector Machine, Random Forests, CNN). Classifier output for the acquired set of point-measurements was visualized through an interpolation-based approach to generate a probabilistic heatmap of cancer within the surgical field. Classifier output for dysplasia at the resection margins was also investigated., Results: Statistically significant change (P 0.01) between healthy and cancer was observed in vivo for the acquired FLIm signal parameters (e.g., average lifetime) linked with metabolic activity. Superior classification was achieved at the tissue region level using the Random Forests method (ROC-AUC: 0.88). Classifier output for dysplasia (% probability of cancer) was observed to lie between that of cancer and healthy tissue, highlighting FLIm's ability to distinguish various conditions., Conclusion: The developed approach demonstrates the potential of FLIm for fast, reliable intraoperative margin assessment without the need for contrast agents., Significance: Fiber-based FLIm has the potential to be used as a diagnostic tool during cancer resection surgery, including Transoral Robotic Surgery (TORS), helping ensure complete resections and improve the survival rate of oral and oropharyngeal cancer patients.

Better visualization of tumor structure and orientation are needed in the postoperative setting. We aimed to assess the feasibility of a system in which oral and oropharyngeal tumors are resected, photographed, 3D modeled, and printed using additive manufacturing techniques. Three patients diagnosed with oral/oropharyngeal cancer were included. All patients underwent preoperative magnetic resonance imaging followed by resection. In the operating room (OR), the resected tissue block was photographed using a smartphone. Digital photos were imported into Agisoft Photoscan to produce a digital 3D model of the resected tissue. Physical models were then printed using binder jetting techniques. The aforementioned process was applied in pilot cases including carcinomas of the tongue and larynx. The number of photographs taken for each case ranged from 63 to 195. The printing time for the physical models ranged from 2 to 9 h, costs ranging from 25 to 141 EUR (28 to 161 USD). Digital photography may be used to additively manufacture models of resected oral/oropharyngeal tumors in an easy, accessible and efficient fashion. The model may be used in interdisciplinary discussion regarding postoperative care to improve understanding and collaboration, but further investigation in prospective studies is required.

A man in his mid 70s was referred to head and neck outpatients with bulky tissue in the left tonsillar fossa. He had previously been treated for oligometastatic renal clear cell carcinoma (diagnosed over 15 years prior to disease recurrence) by tonsillectomy and adjuvant radiotherapy (years from primary treatment), followed by trans-oral laser surgery to his oropharyngeal recurrence 3 years later. Examination under anaesthetic and biopsy confirmed further recurrence of disease in the left tonsillar fossa, with parapharyngeal extension, which has not been previously reported in the literature. After discussion in the head and neck and urology multi-disciplinary teams meeting, the patient was offered trans-oral robotic-assisted surgery (TORS) for local control and prevention of progression of a fungating oropharyngeal mass. TORS partial pharyngectomy and left buccal artery myomucosal flap reconstruction were successfully carried out, with preservation of some swallow function., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2020. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: The "Ex-Utero Intrapartum Treatment" (EXIT) procedure allows to ensure fetal airway before completion of delivery and umbilical cord clamping while keeping uteroplacental circulation. Airway obstruction in fetal oropharyngeal and cervical masses can be life-threatening at birth. In those situations, controlled access to fetal airway performed by a trained multidisciplinary team allows safe airway management, while feto-maternal circulation is preserved. We aim to review the indications and outcome of the EXIT procedure in a case series of fetal cervical and oropharyngeal masses., Methods: We have carried out a retrospective review of all patients with fetal cervical and oropharyngeal masses who underwent an EXIT procedure between 2008 and 2019. Variables evaluated included indication for EXIT, ultrasound and MRI findings, the need of amnioreduction, gestational age at EXIT, birth weight, complications, operative time, survival rate, pathological findings, and postnatal evolution. Five patients are included in this series. One additional case has already been published., Results: The diagnosis were cervical teratoma (n = 1), epulis (n = 1) and lymphangioma (n = 3). Polyhydramnios was present in 2 patients, requiring amnioreduction in one of them. Mean gestational age at EXIT was 36-37 weeks (range, 34-38 weeks). Median EXIT time in placental support was 9 min (range, 3-22 min). Access to airway was successfully established in EXIT in all cases. All children born by EXIT are currently healthy and without complications., Conclusion: The localization and characteristics of the mass, its relationship to the airway, and the presence of polyhydramnios seem to be major factors determining indications for EXIT and clinical outcome.

Background: While transoral robotic surgery (TORS) is widely used for the management of lateral wall oropharyngeal carcinomas (OPC), open surgical techniques are still used in some cases. A pull-through method for open surgical resections of OPC has recently been introduced. We improved on this method by eliminating the need for subsequent free-flap reconstruction., Methods: 16 patients with lateral wall OPC underwent pull-through resections. After resection, we used the digastric muscle, stylohyoid muscles, submandibular gland and the surrounding tissues to block the neck and oral cavity and to avoid reconstruction., Results: This novel technique was performed without major complications or morbidities. The average post-operative hospital stay was 14.6 ± 6.1 days, and the average duration until initiation of oral intake post-operation was 6.5 ± 2.9 days. Oncological outcomes, post-operative course and function were acceptable., Conclusions: Our novel method provides an efficient and less invasive surgical technique than conventional open approaches., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permission@oup.com.)

Introduction: Available data suggest that the two-week wait referral pathway is ineffective at expediting diagnosis of cancer due to large numbers of inappropriate referrals. This study aimed to compare the referral pathway of 125 patients who had undergone primary surgery for oral and oropharyngeal cancer with 100 who had been two-week wait referrals., Materials and Methods: This was a case note review., Results: Of the 125 patients who underwent surgery; 47 (38%) were referred via the 2WW pathway. GPs had referred 25 (53%) of the 47 patients and general dental practitioners 22 (47%). The tumour stage was similar regardless of referral pathway (two-week wait or routine). GPs recognised that the two-week wait pathway was needed in 49% of the patients they had referred, whereas the equivalent figure for GDPs was 40%. Of the 100 2WW patients, 52 were biopsied. Of these, nine (9%) were diagnosed with a malignancy. GPs referred 61% of the 100 two-week wait patients and accurately diagnosed five of the cancers (although two were basal cell carcinomas), general dental practitioners the remainder (including one basal cell carcinoma). Overall, 41% of the patients referred on the two-week wait pathway by GPs needed a biopsy, compared with 69% of those referred by general dental practitioners., Conclusions: While the criteria for referral on the two-week wait pathway lack discrimination and the majority of referrals proved benign, nearly 40% of surgically treated patients were referred via this pathway, suggesting that it does serve a useful purpose. More patients with cancer were referred by GPs, but more two-week wait referrals by general dental practitioners warranted biopsy.

Introduction: Pyogenic spondylodiscitis is a rare, destructive intervertebral disc infection., Case Summary: We describe a case of C2-C3 pyogenic spondylodiscitis after transoral surgery of the posterior pharyngeal wall in a 64-year-old man with a history of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) treated by neck irradiation (45Gy). Ten years after initial treatment, he underwent total laryngectomy for laryngeal SCC, together with transoral resection of carcinoma in situ (CIS) of the posterior pharyngeal wall followed by BioDesign® tissue repair graft. Five months later, C2-C3 spondylodiscitis was diagnosed with the formation of a fistula between the posterior pharyngeal wall and the intervertebral disc. Antibiotic therapy was administered for a total duration of 3 months (multi-susceptible Escherichia coli). Eight months after the diagnosis of spondylodiscitis, the patient died from carotid artery rupture following another course of radiotherapy for lymph node recurrence., Discussion: Larger-scale studies are necessary to evaluate the prevalence and risk factors of radiation-induced spondylodiscitis that currently remain poorly elucidated. The best treatment strategy (choice and duration of antibiotic therapy) and the optimal frequency of follow-up must be determined and the value of preventive measures (biomaterial, flap repair) needs to be evaluated., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.)

Background: Primary surgery is usually the mainstay treatment in early-stage oropharyngeal and oral cavity cancer. Typically, neck surgery is performed. Negative tumor margins are recommended (> 5 mm). If feasible, re-resection of any positive margin is preferred. Otherwise, postoperative radiotherapy is required. Adjuvant postoperative radiotherapy can be limited to the primary site for patients with pT1-T2 tumors and negative neck exploration. Currently, both fractionated external beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy can have a role in the postoperative management of early-stage oropharyngeal and oral cavity cancer with high risk margins. Another possible alternative could be postoperative stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). The aim of this study is to evaluate postoperative SBRT in the treatment of early-stage oropharyngeal and oral cavity cancer with high risk margins., Methods: The STEREO POSTOP study is a national, open-label, non-randomized phase II trial within the GORTEC network. Patients with early-stage oropharyngeal and oral cavity cancers with high risk margins indicating the need for postoperative radiation are eligible for enrollment. SBRT consists of a total dose of 36 Gy in 6 fractions over 2 weeks. The primary endpoint is severe late toxicity defined as 2-year toxicity of grade ≥ 3 according to CTCAE V4.03 classification. The secondary endpoints include acute toxicity (≤ 3 months), local and locoregional control, disease-free and overall survival, quality of life of patients, nutritional impact and predictive factors of toxicity. The experimental design chosen is a one-step Fleming plan design without interim analysis as the primary endpoint will be evaluated at a 2-year follow-up. Ninety patients will be recruited. The study was started in January 2018 with a 4-year enrollment period and an estimated completion in January 2024., Discussion: This study is the first prospective trial to evaluate head and neck cancer postoperative SBRT in the setting of early-stage oropharyngeal and oral cavity cancers with high risk margins. SBRT is an attractive option because it delivers a highly conformal dose of radiation in a limited number of fractions (like brachytherapy but with less contraindication), with steep dose gradients resulting in reduced normal tissue irradiation and with a short overall treatment time., Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov : NCT03401840 , registered on 17-1-2018. Identifier in French National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM): N°ID - RCB 2017-A02058-45, registered on July 2017. Protocol version: Version 3 dated from 25th November 2019.

Background: For loco-regionally advanced, but transorally resectable oropharyngeal cancer (OPSCC), the current standard of care includes surgical resection and risk-adapted adjuvant (chemo) radiotherapy, or definite chemoradiation with or without salvage surgery. While transoral surgery for OPSCC has increased over the last decade for example in the United States due to transoral robotic surgery, this treatment approach has a long history in Germany. In contrast to Anglo-Saxon countries, transoral surgical approaches have been used frequently in Germany to treat patients with oro-, hypopharyngeal and laryngeal cancer. Transoral laser microsurgery (TLM) has had a long tradition since its introduction in the early 70s. To date, the different therapeutic approaches to transorally resectable OPSCC have not been directly compared to each other in a randomized trial concerning disease control and survival. The goal of this study is to compare initial transoral surgery to definitive chemoradiation for resectable OPSCC, especially with regards to local and regional control., Methods: TopROC is a prospective, two-arm, open label, multicenter, randomized, and controlled comparative effectiveness study. Eligible patients are ≥18 years old with treatment-naïve, histologically proven OPSCC (T1, N2a-c, M0; T2, N1-2c, M0; T3, N0-2c, M0 UICC vers. 7) which are amenable to transoral resection. Two hundred eighty patients will be randomly assigned (1:1) to surgical treatment (arm A) or chemoradiation (arm B). Standard of care treatment will be performed according to daily routine practice. Arm A consists of transoral surgical resection with neck dissection followed by risk-adapted adjuvant therapy. Patients treated in arm B receive standard chemoradiation, residual tumor may be subject to salvage surgery. Follow-up visits for 3 years are planned. Primary endpoint is time to local or locoregional failure (LRF). Secondary endpoints include overall and disease free survival, toxicity, and patient reported outcomes. Approximately 20 centers will be involved in Germany. This trial is supported by the German Cancer Aid and accompanied by a scientific support program., Discussion: This study will shed light on an urgently-needed randomized comparison of the strategy of primary chemoradiation vs. primary surgical approach. As a comparative effectiveness trial, it is designed to provide data based on two established regimens in daily clinical routine., Trial Registration: NCT03691441 Registered 1 October 2018 - Retrospectively registered.

Introduction: Head and neck carcinoma of unknown primary represents 1-5% of all head and neck cancers and presents a diagnostic and therapeutic dilemma. In approximately 40% of cases, a primary tumour location remains unknown despite investigation. With advancements in our understanding of the role of high-risk human papilloma virus in head and neck cancer, transoral robotic surgery presents an option for diagnosis and therapy., Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective case series from a single centre. Case notes were reviewed for 28 patients who had transoral robotic surgery for head and neck carcinoma of unknown primary between May 2015 and July 2019., Results: Transoral robotic surgery identified an oropharyngeal primary tumour in 19 of 28 (67.8%) patients. All oropharyngeal primaries were p16 positive. The base of tongue identification rate was 63.2%. Median length of inpatient stay postoperatively was 1.0 day. Normal oral intake resumed within 48 hours in 96% (27/28) of patients. Three patients (10.3%) suffered minor postoperative bleeds that were all managed conservatively., Discussion: The base of tongue primary identification rate (63.2%) in this series is consistent with that previously reported (43-63%; 95% confidence interval). Primary tumour identification rate if a patient is p16 positive is 86.3% (19/22), with 100% of these being oropharyngeal. We suggest future investigation into p16 status as a means of stratifying patients with head and neck carcinoma of unknown primary for transoral robotic surgery., Conclusion: Transoral robotic base of tongue mucosectomy (or lingual tonsillectomy) is a promising technique that offers a high yield of positive identification for the primary tumour. It is well tolerated with minimal associated morbidity. Our findings are comparable with those in the current literature.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the quality of life of patients with oral or oropharyngeal cancer by using specific questionnaires (QLQ-C30 and QLQ-HandN35), varying according to the location of the tumor (oral cavity or oropharynx) and the treatment performed (only surgery or surgery associated with radiotherapy)., Methods: Fifty patients were enrolled in this study and answered the EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC HandN35 questionnaires, before (baseline), at 1 week, and 3 months after treatment. Internal consistency reliability was calculated with the Cronbach coefficient. The Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon tests were applied and P.

This case report presents an elderly male patient who on diagnosis with a large oropharyngeal tumour had no specific symptomatology apart from severe obstructive sleep apnoea. Histopathology revealed the tumour to be an adult rhabdomyoma, a rare but benign tumour arising from striated muscle cells. The tumour obstructed most of the oropharyngeal space and almost occluded the patient's airway when lying in a supine position. The patient was deemed operable, and the tumour was excised in toto using a transoral robotic surgery system. On follow-up, the patient had a severe reduction of apnoeas/hypopnoeas and felt subjectively 'reborn'. This is to our knowledge the first case where an adult rhabdomyoma is removed using a robot-assisted approach, thus presenting a new and viable option when considering removal of benign tumours of the pharynx leading to a very minor degree of morbidity for the patients., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2020. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Pathological staging and histological grading systems are useful, but imperfect, predictors of recurrence in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Aberrant promoter methylation is the main type of epigenetic modification that plays a role in the inactivation of tumor suppressor genes. To identify new potential prognostic markers, we investigated the promoter methylation status of five neuropeptide receptor genes. The methylation status of the target genes was compared with clinical characteristics in 278 cases; 72 hypopharyngeal cancers, 54 laryngeal cancers, 75 oropharyngeal cancers, and 77 oral cavity cancers were studied. We found that the NTSR1, NTSR2, GHSR, MLNR, and NMUR1 promoters were methylated in 47.8%, 46.8%, 54.3%, 39.2%, and 43.5% of the samples, respectively. GHSR and NMUR1 promoter methylation independently predicted recurrence in HNSCC. In patients with oropharyngeal cancer (n = 75), GHSR and NMUR1 promoter methylation significantly correlates with survival in surgically treated patients. We classified our patients as having a low, intermediate, or high-risk of death based on three factors: HPV status, and GHSR and NMUR1 promoter methylation. The disease-free survival (DFS) rates were 87.1%, 42.7%, and 17.0%, respectively. Combined data analysis of the methylation status of ten-eleven translocation (TET) family genes indicated a trend toward greater methylation indices as the number of TET methylation events increased. In the current study, we presented the relationship between the methylation status of the GHSR and NMUR1 genes and recurrence in HNSCC, specifically in risk classification of oropharyngeal carcinomas cases with HPV status.