Oncological outcome following initiation of treatment for stage III and IV HPV negative oropharyngeal cancers with transoral robotic surgery (TORS)

Objective To report long-term oncological and functional outcome of Transoral Robotic Surgery escalated treatment including radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy for Stage III-IV HPV negative oropharyngeal malignancies. Method From March 2013 to September 2015, 153 patients with oropharyngeal carcinoma were included in the study. Patients were evaluated for disease free survival, overall survival and post-treatment functional outcomes. Results 153 patients (96 males and 57 females) underwent TORS for oropharyngeal carcinoma. 142 patients on final histopathology had stage III and IV disease and received adjuvant treatment based on final histopathology. One hundred and sixteen (81.7%) patients were disease free on average follow-up of 48 months with an overall survival of 91.5% at mean follow-up of 48 months. Conclusion TORS can be used to intensify treatment of Stage III/IV oropharyngeal carcinoma and avoid early and late toxicities due to higher doses of upfront RT/CTRT and achieve better oncological outcome.