Objectives/Hypothesis We investigate the clinicopathologic and treatment factors associated with the use of postoperative radiation therapy (PORT) and its effect on overall survival (OS) for patients with oral cavity verrucous carcinoma (VC). Study Design Retrospective cohort study. Methods A retrospective cohort study of the National Cancer Database (NCDB) from 2006 to 2015 was performed. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify independent predictive factors associated with the use of PORT. Cox Regression survival and propensity score analyses were used to evaluate the effect of PORT on mortality. Results A total of 356 adult patients with primary oral cavity VC who underwent definitive surgical resection were identified. A total of 10.7% of patients underwent definitive surgical resection followed by PORT. Variables associated with PORT included distance to the hospital per 10 miles (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.81 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.70–0.95]) and stage III–IV disease (aOR, 12.13 and 23.92, respectively). Multivariable Cox regression survival analysis indicated no evidence of survival benefit in patients undergoing PORT compared to surgery alone (adjusted hazard ratio 1.50 [0.74–3.05], P = .23). Propensity score analysis also showed no OS benefit with the use of PORT (P = .41). Conclusions Variables associated with the use of PORT on multivariable analysis included closer distance to hospital and stage III–IV disease. No clear survival benefit with PORT was identified on either multivariable survival analysis or propensity score analysis. These results suggest that surgery alone with negative margins may be the optimal treatment for patients with oral cavity VC. Level of Evidence 4 Laryngoscope, 132:1953–1961, 2022

The management of patients with recurrent head and neck cancers remains a challenging clinical dilemma. Concerns over toxicity with re-irradiation have limited its use in the clinical setting. Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) has emerged as a highly conformal and precise type of radiotherapy and has the advantage of sparing normal tissue. Although SBRT is an attractive treatment modality, its use in the clinic is limited, given the technically challenging nature of the procedure. In this review, we attempt to provide a comprehensive overview of the role of re-irradiation in patients with recurrent head and neck cancers, with particular attention to the advent of SBRT and its use with systemic therapies such as cetuximab. In the second portion of this review, we present our systematic review of published experiences with SBRT in recurrent head and neck cancers in an attempt to provide data on response rates (RR), overall survival and toxicity. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: 595-601, 2017.

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