Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 19, 2026

Intraoperative Assessment of Resection Margins in Oral Cavity Cancer: This is the Way
Published on: May 10, 2021
ACR Appropriateness Criteria(®) Locoregional therapy for resectable oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas
Jonathan J Beitler1, Harry Quon2, Christopher U Jones3
1Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
Background:
There are no level I studies to guide treatment for resectable oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Treatment toxicities influence management recommendations. Ongoing investigations are examining deintensified treatments for human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated oropharyngeal SCC.
Methods:
The Appropriateness Criteria panel, using modified Delphi methodology, produced a literature summary, an assessment of treatment recommendations, and cases to illustrate their use.
Results:
A multidisciplinary team produces optimum results. Based on HPV status, smoking history, and staging, patients are divided into groups at low, intermediate, and high-risk of death. In the future, treatment recommendations may be influenced by HPV status, which has changed the epidemiology of oropharyngeal SCC.
Conclusion:
T1 to T2N0M0 resectable oropharyngeal SCC can be treated with surgery or radiation without chemotherapy. Patients with T1-2N1-2aM0 disease can receive radiation, chemoradiation, or transoral surgery with neck dissection and appropriate adjuvant therapy. Patients with T1-2N2b-3M0 disease should receive chemoradiation or transoral surgery with neck dissection and appropriate adjuvant therapy. Concurrent chemoradiation is preferred for T3 to T4 disease. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: 1299-1309, 2016.

