Clinical-pathological T-stage discrepancy in OPHL: impact on oncologic outcomes

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Surgical Oncology
• Head and Neck Cancer Research

Background:

• Clinical-pathological T-stage discordance is frequent in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC).
• The impact of this discordance on outcomes after open partial horizontal laryngectomy (OPHL) is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prevalence and impact of clinical-pathological T-stage discrepancies in LSCC patients treated with OPHL.
• To determine if T-stage discordance affects survival outcomes or the need for adjuvant therapy.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective multicenter study of 106 LSCC patients undergoing OPHL.
• Analysis of discrepancies between clinical T-stage (cT) and pathological T-stage (pT).
• Evaluation of associations with preoperative factors, adjuvant therapy, disease-free survival (DFS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and overall survival (OS).

Main Results:

• T-stage discordance occurred in 37.7% of patients (19.8% upstaged, 17.9% downstaged).
• No significant association was found between preoperative factors and T-stage discordance.
• T-stage discrepancy did not significantly impact DFS, DSS, OS, or the requirement for adjuvant therapy.

Conclusions:

• Clinical-pathological T-stage discordance in LSCC patients undergoing OPHL does not significantly affect oncologic outcomes.
• The adaptable nature of OPHL may mitigate the negative impact of T-stage discrepancies.
• These findings support the efficacy of OPHL in managing LSCC regardless of initial staging accuracy.