Subsite variation in survival of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas 2004 to 2011.
To evaluate subsite-specific differences in survival between squamous cell carcinomas of the base of tongue and tonsillar fossa in a modern cohort likely to have been treated with intensity-modulated radiation therapy, chemotherapy for stage III and IV, and have had a high incidence of human papillomavirus-associated tumors.



Retrospective cohort analysis utilizing data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program of patients with base of tongue and tonsillar fossa squamous cell carcinoma from 2004 to 2011.



The cohort included 15,299 primary base of tongue and tonsillar fossa squamous cell carcinoma patients without distant metastases treated between 2004 and 2011. Subsite differences in overall survival and disease-specific survival were examined with Kaplan-Meier curves. Multivariate cox proportional hazard ratios were estimated for overall and disease-specific survival.



The cohort included 7,220 (47.2%) base of tongue and 8,079 (52.8%) tonsillar fossa squamous cell carcinoma patients. Overall survival with all stages combined favored tonsillar fossa (P < .001) and remained superior when stratified by stage. In multivariate analyses adjusted for age, gender, race, and treatment, the hazard ratio for overall survival was superior for tonsillar fossa tumors compared to base of tongue tumors for all stages (stage 1, P = .041; stage 2, P = .006; stages 3 and 4, P < .001). Disease-specific survival also favored improved outcomes for tonsillar fossa.



In this large modern cohort, overall and disease-specific survival favored outcomes in tonsillar fossa compared with base of tongue. Further study is required to evaluate factors that influence survival differences between tonsillar fossa and base of tongue despite modern therapy.



4 Laryngoscope, 127:1087-1092, 2017.
Department of Head and Neck/Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York, U.S.A.
Mary E
ME
Platek
Department of Head and Neck/Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York, U.S.A.
Vijayvel
V
Jayaprakash
Department of Head and Neck/Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York, U.S.A.
Vishal
V
Gupta
Department of Head and Neck/Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York, U.S.A.
David M
DM
Cohan
Department of Head and Neck/Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York, U.S.A.
Wesley L
WL
Hicks
Department of Radiation Medicine, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York, U.S.A.
Timothy B
TB
Winslow
Department of Radiation Medicine, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York, U.S.A.
Alexis J
AJ
Platek
Department of Biostatistics, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York, U.S.A.
Adrienne
A
Groman
Department of Biostatistics, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York, U.S.A.
Shiva
S
Dibaj
Department of Head and Neck/Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York, U.S.A.
Hassan
H
Arshad
Department of Head and Neck/Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York, U.S.A.
Moni A
MA
Kuriakose
Department of Radiation Oncology and Department of Cell and Molecular Pharmacology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.A.
Graham W
GW
Warren
Department of Radiation Medicine, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, New York, U.S.A.
Anurag K
AK
Singh
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy* / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018426:SEER Program; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy* / Q000821:virology; D014067:Tonsillar Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy* / Q000821:virology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
Epidemiology; Surveillance; and End Results; base of tongue; oropharyngeal cancer; squamous cell carcinoma; survival; tonsillar fossa