De-Escalated Adjuvant Radiation Therapy in Patients With HPV-Positive Oropharyngeal Cancer

Do patients who receive off-study de-escalated adjuvant radiation therapy (DART) have outcomes similar to those for patients who are treated during clinical studies?In this cohort study of 282 patients with human papillomavirus–associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HPV-OPSCC), 2-year outcomes were similar on and off study for local regional failure–free survival (97% vs 97%, respectively), progression-free survival (PFS [93% vs 93%, respectively]), and overall survival (98% vs 99%, respectively). For patients at intermediate risk, 2- and 5-year PFS were 97% and 96%, respectively; for those at high risk, 2- and 5-year PFS were 93% and 87%, respectively.These findings suggest that patients with HPV-OPSCC who are treated with DART have excellent oncologic outcomes, especially patients with intermediate-risk disease.

Corresponding Author: David M. Routman, MD, Department of Radiation Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, 200 First St SW, Rochester, MN 55905 (ma.daniel@mayo.edu).

Link to the article in your story

We encourage you to link out to this article in your story using the link below. It includes an access token that will give free access to the article for your readers up to one year after publication. (The link will be live after the article publishes and embargo is lifted.)

Please see the article for additional information, including full author list, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

Need more information? Contact us.