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Updated: Jul 16, 2026
Therapy Testing in a Spheroid-based 3D Cell Culture Model for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Published on: April 20, 2018
[Survival with distant metastatic disease in head and neck cancer. A retrospective analysis]
B Dietl1, J Marienhagen, C Schaefer
1Klinik für Strahlentherapie, Universität Regensburg, Franz Josef Strauss Allee 11, 93053, Regensburg. barbara.dietl@klinik.uni-regensburg.de
Questions:
The objective of this retrospective analysis was to investigate parameters with a potential impact on survival in a collective of 114 patients with distant metastatic disease after head and neck cancer.
Patients And Methods:
The primary endpoint was the survival with distant metastatic disease, the secondary endpoint was overall survival. Primary therapy, local recurrence, second neoplasms, palliative chemotherapy (CHT) and radiotherapy (RT), as well as Karnofsky performance status (KPS) at the time of diagnosis of the metastases were analyzed as potential impact parameters using the log-rank test with subsequent Cox regression analysis.
Results:
Palliative CHT (P=0.0020) and KPS (P=0.0011) had a significant positive impact on the median survival probability with metastases (8.2 months) using the log-rank test, KPS at the time of diagnosis of metastases remained as an independent prognostic parameter in the Cox regression (P=0.0013). Primary therapy, local tumor control and KPS had a significant positive influence on the median overall survival probability (18.5 months) univariately (P=0.0139, P=0.0106, P= 0.0096) and multivariately (P=0.0123, and P=0.0063, P=0.0197, respectively).
Conclusions:
KPS at the time of diagnosis of metastases is an independent prognostic parameter for both endpoints. Lacking evidence for life prolongation, palliative therapies should therefore first and foremost focus on the stabilization of the KPS.
