Evaluation of lymph node ratio and lymph node yield as prognosticators of locoregional recurrence in p16-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma
Margaret Nurimba BA
Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
Search for more papers by this authorWilliam Hines BS
Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
Search for more papers by this authorUttam Sinha MD
Tina and Rick Caruso Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
Search for more papers by this authorAnna Mathew MD
Department of Pathology, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
Search for more papers by this authorNiels Kokot MD
Tina and Rick Caruso Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Mark Swanson MD
Tina and Rick Caruso Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
Correspondence
Mark Swanson, MD, 1540 Alcazar Street, Suite 204M, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorMargaret Nurimba BA
Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
Search for more papers by this authorWilliam Hines BS
Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
Search for more papers by this authorUttam Sinha MD
Tina and Rick Caruso Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
Search for more papers by this authorAnna Mathew MD
Department of Pathology, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
Search for more papers by this authorNiels Kokot MD
Tina and Rick Caruso Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Mark Swanson MD
Tina and Rick Caruso Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
Correspondence
Mark Swanson, MD, 1540 Alcazar Street, Suite 204M, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorPortions of this work have been presented at the American Head and Neck Meeting at the 2019 Combined Otolaryngology Spring Meeting in Austin, Texas.
Abstract
Background
The prognostic value of lymph node yield (LNY) and lymph node ratio (LNR), or the ratio of number of metastatic LNs to total number dissected, has not been well established in p16-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC).
Methods
This retrospective cohort study evaluated locoregional disease-free survival (LRDFS) in 82 patients with p16+ OPSCC who underwent neck dissection at a single institution from 2009 to 2017. LNR and LNY cutoffs were estimated using time-dependent receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves. Prognostic significance of these cutoffs was compared with Eighth Edition AJCC Nodal Staging.
Results
An increased LNR ≥ 0.129 was associated with worse 2-year LRDFS (66.9% vs 96.8%, P = .005). LNY was not significantly associated with LRDFS (P = .304). An LNR-based risk model was a better prognosticator than Eighth Edition AJCC Nodal Staging (Harrell's C, 0.9065 vs 0.7668).
Conclusions
LNR has good prognostic utility in predicting LRDFS in p16+ OPSCC, but further evaluation of this measure is warranted.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Supporting Information
Filename | Description |
---|---|
hed26324-sup-0001-supinfo.docxWord 2007 document , 290.1 KB | Table S1 Results of a blinded pathology review of neck dissection specimens (n = 21). Table S2. Lymph node yield and lymph node ratio cutoff point estimation by time-specific ROC analysis. Table S3. Univariate Cox proportional hazards analysis of risk factors for locoregional recurrence Table S4. Cramer V association analysis between LNR cutoff and histopathological characteristics Figure S1. Time-dependent area under the curve comparing ability of eighth edition AJCC nodal staging to an LNR cutoff of 0.129 to predict locoregional recurrence. |
Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.
REFERENCES
- 1Warnakulasuriya S. Global epidemiology of oral and oropharyngeal cancer. Oral Oncol. 2009; 45(4–5): 309-316.
- 2Taberna M, Mena M, Pavon MA, Alemany L, Gillison ML, Mesia R. Human papillomavirus-related oropharyngeal cancer. Ann Oncol. 2017; 28(10): 2386-2398.
- 3Lydiatt WM, Patel SG, O'Sullivan B, et al. Head and neck cancers—major changes in the American Joint Committee on cancer eighth edition cancer staging manual. CA Cancer J Clin. 2017; 67(2): 122-137.
- 4Huang SH, Xu W, Waldron J, et al. Refining American Joint Committee on Cancer/Union for International Cancer Control TNM stage and prognostic groups for human papillomavirus-related oropharyngeal carcinomas. J Clin Oncol. 2015; 33(8): 836-845.
- 5Divi V, Harris J, Harari PM, et al. Establishing quality indicators for neck dissection: correlating the number of lymph nodes with oncologic outcomes (NRG Oncology RTOG 9501 and RTOG 0234). Cancer. 2016; 122(22): 3464-3471.
- 6Kuo P, Mehra S, Sosa JA, et al. Proposing prognostic thresholds for lymph node yield in clinically lymph node-negative and lymph node-positive cancers of the oral cavity. Cancer. 2016; 122(23): 3624-3631.
- 7Lemieux A, Kedarisetty S, Raju S, Orosco R, Coffey C. Lymph node yield as a predictor of survival in pathologically node negative oral cavity carcinoma. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2016; 154(3): 465-472.
- 8Pou JD, Barton BM, Lawlor CM, Frederick CH, Moore BA, Hasney CP. Minimum lymph node yield in elective level I-III neck dissection. Laryngoscope. 2017; 127(9): 2070-2073.
- 9Marres CC, de Ridder M, Hegger I, et al. The influence of nodal yield in neck dissections on lymph node ratio in head and neck cancer. Oral Oncol. 2014; 50(1): 59-64.
- 10Merz S, Timmesfeld N, Stuck BA, Wiegand S. Impact of lymph node yield on outcome of patients with head and neck cancer and pN0 neck. Anticancer Res. 2018; 38(9): 5347-5350.
- 11Agrama MT, Reiter D, Cunnane MF, Topham A, Keane WM. Nodal yield in neck dissection and the likelihood of metastases. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2003; 128(2): 185-190.
- 12Wang MB, Liu IY, Gornbein JA, Nguyen CT. HPV-positive oropharyngeal carcinoma: a systematic review of treatment and prognosis. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2015; 153(5): 758-769.
- 13Johnstone PA, Miller ED, Moore MG. Preoperative radiotherapy decreases lymph node yield of neck dissections for head and neck cancer. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2012; 147(2): 278-280.
- 14Kelly JR, Park HS, An Y, et al. Upfront surgery versus definitive chemoradiotherapy in patients with human papillomavirus-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer. Oral Oncol. 2018; 79: 64-70.
- 15Sanford NN, Hwang WL, Pike LRG, Lam AC, Royce TJ, Mahal BA. Trimodality therapy for HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer: A population-based study: trimodality therapy for HPV+OPC. Oral Oncol. 2019; 98: 28-34.
- 16Ku JH, Kang M, Kim HS, Jeong CW, Kwak C, Kim HH. Lymph node density as a prognostic variable in node-positive bladder cancer: a meta-analysis. BMC Cancer. 2015; 15:447.
- 17Elshaer M, Gravante G, Kosmin M, Riaz A, Al-Bahrani A. A systematic review of the prognostic value of lymph node ratio, number of positive nodes and total nodes examined in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Ann R Coll Surg Engl. 2017; 99(2): 101-106.
- 18Yamashita K, Hosoda K, Ema A, Watanabe M. Lymph node ratio as a novel and simple prognostic factor in advanced gastric cancer. Eur J Surg Oncol. 2016; 42(9): 1253-1260.
- 19Zhu J, Xue Z, Zhang S, et al. Integrated analysis of the prognostic role of the lymph node ratio in node-positive gastric cancer: A meta-analysis. Int J Surg. 2018; 57: 76-83.
- 20Sano D, Yabuki K, Takahashi H, et al. Lymph node ratio as a prognostic factor for survival in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Auris Nasus Larynx. 2018; 45(4): 846-853.
- 21Chen CC, Lin JC, Chen KW. Lymph node ratio as a prognostic factor in head and neck cancer patients. Radiat Oncol. 2015; 10:181.
- 22Prabhu RS, Hanasoge S, Magliocca KR, et al. Lymph node ratio influence on risk of head and neck cancer locoregional recurrence after initial surgical resection: implications for adjuvant therapy. Head Neck. 2015; 37(6): 777-782.
- 23Mansour J, Sagiv D, Alon E, Talmi Y. Prognostic value of lymph node ratio in metastatic papillary thyroid carcinoma. J Laryngol Otol. 2018; 132(1): 8-13.
- 24Feng Z, Xu QS, Wang C, et al. Lymph node ratio is associated with adverse clinicopathological features and is a crucial nodal parameter for oral and oropharyngeal cancer. Sci Rep. 2017; 7(1):6708.
- 25Kunzel J, Psychogios G, Mantsopoulos K, Grundtner P, Waldfahrer F, Iro H. Lymph node ratio as a predictor of outcome in patients with oropharyngeal cancer. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2014; 271(5): 1171-1180.
- 26Jacobi C, Rauch J, Hagemann J, Lautz T, Reiter M, Baumeister P. Prognostic value of the lymph node ratio in oropharyngeal carcinoma stratified for HPV-status. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2018; 275(2): 515-524.
- 27Meyer MF, Meinrath J, Seehawer J, et al. The relevance of the lymph node ratio as predictor of prognosis is higher in HPV-negative than in HPV-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Clin Otolaryngol. 2018; 43(1): 192-198.
- 28Safi AF, Grandoch A, Nickenig HJ, Zoller JE, Kreppel M. Importance of lymph node ratio for locoregional recurrence of squamous cell carcinoma of the buccal mucosa. Head Neck. 2017; 39(12): 2488-2493.
- 29Uno H, Cai T, Tian L, Wei LJ. Evaluating prediction rules for t-year survivors with censored regression models. J Am Stat Assoc. 2007; 102(478): 527-537.
- 30Youden WJ. Index for rating diagnostic tests. Cancer. 1950; 3(1): 32-35.
10.1002/1097-0142(1950)3:1<32::AID-CNCR2820030106>3.0.CO;2-3 CAS PubMed Web of Science® Google Scholar
- 31Fakhry C, Westra WH, Wang SJ, et al. The prognostic role of sex, race, and human papillomavirus in oropharyngeal and nonoropharyngeal head and neck squamous cell cancer. Cancer. 2017; 123(9): 1566-1575.
- 32Weatherspoon DJ, Chattopadhyay A, Boroumand S, Garcia AI. Oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer incidence trends and disparities in the United States: 2000–2010. Cancer Epidemiol. 2015; 39(4): 497-504.
- 33Osazuwa-Peters N, Massa ST, Christopher KM, Walker RJ, Varvares MA. Race and sex disparities in long-term survival of oral and oropharyngeal cancer in the United States. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 2016; 142(2): 521-528.
- 34Skillington SA, Kallogjeri D, Lewis JS Jr, Piccirillo JF. Prognostic importance of comorbidity and the association between comorbidity and p16 in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2016; 142(6): 568-575.
- 35Habbous S, Harland LT, La Delfa A, et al. Comorbidity and prognosis in head and neck cancers: differences by subsite, stage, and human papillomavirus status. Head Neck. 2014; 36(6): 802-810.
- 36Vawda N, Banerjee RN, Debenham BJ. Impact of smoking on outcomes of HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer treated with primary radiation or surgery. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2019; 103(5): 1125-1131.
- 37Broglie MA, Soltermann A, Rohrbach D, et al. Impact of p16, p53, smoking, and alcohol on survival in patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma treated with primary intensity-modulated chemoradiation. Head Neck. 2013; 35(12): 1698-1706.
- 38Amini A, Jasem J, Jones BL, et al. Predictors of overall survival in human papillomavirus-associated oropharyngeal cancer using the National Cancer Data Base. Oral Oncol. 2016; 56: 1-7.
- 39Jaber JJ, Zender CA, Mehta V, et al. Multi-institutional investigation of the prognostic value of lymph nodel yield in advanced-stage oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma. Head Neck. 2014; 36(10): 1446-1452.
- 40Shrime MG, Bachar G, Lea J, et al. Nodal ratio as an independent predictor of survival in squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity. Head Neck. 2009; 31(11): 1482-1488.
- 41Iocca O, Farcomeni A, De Virgilio A, et al. Prognostic significance of lymph node yield and lymph node ratio in patients affected by squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity and oropharynx: study protocol for a prospective, multicenter, observational study. Contemp Clin Trials Commun. 2019; 14:100324.