Sarcomatoid Carcinoma in the Head and Neck: A Population-Based Analysis of Outcome and Survival

To characterize sarcomatoid cell carcinoma (SaC) in head and neck, explore the value of radiotherapy (RT) and chemotherapy, and build a nomogram to predict the prognosis.

Retrospective cohort study.

In total, 559 patients diagnosed with head and neck SaC from 2004 to 2015 were included from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program. All the cases were divided into training (N = 313) and validation (N = 246) cohorts according to the year of diagnosis. The cases were analyzed on the age, site, sex, race, T stage, N stage, M stage, surgery, RT, and chemotherapy. Cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) were compared among disease-related categories. The parameters significantly correlated with CSS were used to construct a nomogram.

The multivariate analysis showed that age, T stage, N stage, and M stage were significantly correlated with CSS and OS. Overall, RT was correlated with improved CSS for Stage T3-4 and Stage N1-3. The subgroup analysis showed that RT was correlated with CSS in the Stage N1-3 patients after surgery while chemotherapy indicated an improved survival for Stage T3-4 and N1-3 patients without surgery. The prognostic nomogram was constructed and had a powerful discriminatory ability with the C-index of CSS: 0.711.

Late-stage head and neck SaC patients unfit for surgery need comprehensive treatment based on chemotherapy, and patients with node metastasis require adjuvant RT after surgery. Generally, RT might improve the survival of late-stage patients. A reliable and powerful nomogram was established that can provide an individual prediction of CSS for head and neck SaC.

3 Laryngoscope, 131:E489-E499, 2021.