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Updated: Aug 5, 2026
A Model for Perineural Invasion in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Published on: January 5, 2017
Clinical Characteristics and Prognosis of Neuroendocrine Carcinoma in the Head and Neck: A Single-Institutional
Chengyan Yang1, Kun Gao1, Shuangshuang He2
1Division of Head & Neck Tumor Multimodality Treatment, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37 Guoxue Alley, Chengdu 610041, China.
Background:
Head and neck neuroendocrine carcinoma (HN-NEC) is exceedingly rare. Standardized treatment strategies for this malignancy remain unestablished. This study aimed to explore promising treatment modalities, and to identify prognostic factors in HN-NEC.
Materials And Methods:
Thirty-nine patients diagnosed with HN-NEC at West China Hospital of Sichuan University between 2006 and 2025 were enrolled. The 5-year survival rates were estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis. The log-rank test and Firth's penalized Cox multivariable analysis regression model were used to identify prognostic factors.
Results:
The 5-year locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRRFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and overall survival (OS) rates for patients who did and did not receive radiotherapy were 63.2% vs. 29.6% (p = 0.031), 75.5% vs. 48.0% (p = 0.065), and 81.4% vs. 46.9% (p = 0.039), respectively. Laryngeal NEC was associated with poorer 5-year DMFS (41.2% vs. 87.5%, p = 0.023) and 5-year OS (38.1% vs. 92.9%, p = 0.027) compared with non-laryngeal HN-NEC. Radiotherapy (HR = 0.152, 95% CI: 0.025-0.757, p = 0.022) was a potentially protective factor influencing LRRFS.
Conclusions:
Radiotherapy may be associated with improved LRRFS in patients with HN-NEC. HN-NEC originating in the larynx appeared to be associated with a poorer prognosis compared with other primary sites of the head and neck.
