Table 1.
Baseline patient and tumor characteristics
| Characteristic | No. (%) |
|---|---|
| Median age (range, yr) | 65 (34-82) |
| Gender | |
| Male | 35 (100) |
| Female | 0 |
| ECOG performance status | |
| 0 | 9 (25.7) |
| 1 | 26 (74.3) |
| Stage | |
| IVa | 33 (94.3) |
| IVb | 2 (5.7) |
| Primary site | |
| Oropharynx | 15 (42.9) |
| Hypopharynx | 41 (40.0) |
| Larynx | 3 (8.6) |
| Oral cavity | 3 (8.6) |
| Histological grade | |
| Well differentiated | 8 (22.9) |
| Moderately differentiated | 21 (60.0) |
| Poorly differentiated | 5 (14.3) |
| Undifferentiated | 1 (2.9) |
| Smoking history | |
| Current or Ex-smoker | 25 (71.4) |
| Never-smoker | 10 (28.6) |
| HPV positivity (by DNA PCR) | 2/10 (20.0) |
ECOG, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group; HPV, human papillomavirus; PCR, polymerase chain reaction.