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Updated: Jan 31, 2026

Therapy Testing in a Spheroid-based 3D Cell Culture Model for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Published on: April 20, 2018
Radiation therapy for patients with newly diagnosed metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
Rafi Kabarriti1, Sujith Baliga1, Nitin Ohri1
1Department of Radiation Oncology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine-Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York.
Background:
To assess the association between radiation therapy (RT) use and overall survival (OS) for patients with metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC).
Methods:
We analyzed the National Cancer Database to identify patients with newly diagnosed metastatic HNSCC from 2004 to 2013 who were treated with up-front chemotherapy. Associations between the use of RT and OS were evaluated.
Results:
We identified 3516 patients with metastatic HNSCC who were treated with chemotherapy; 2288 (65%) were also treated with RT. The addition of RT to chemotherapy was associated with prolonged survival (median: 13.6 vs 11.3 months, log-rank P < .001). After adjusting for other prognostic factors in a multivariable Cox model, propensity score matching and landmark analyses limited to patients who survived at least 3, 6, and 12 months after diagnosis, the use of RT remained associated with prolonged survival.
Conclusion:
The addition of RT to chemotherapy in the up-front management of metastatic HNSCC was associated with prolonged OS in this study.
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