Table 1. Characteristics of the 257 Patients With Low- to Intermediate-Risk Oropharyngeal Cancer Included in the Studya.
| Characteristic | All Patients (N = 257) | Primary TORS (n = 75) | Primary Radiotherapy (n = 182) | Effect Size (95% CI)b |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age at primary treatment start, mean (SD), y | 59.54 (9.07) | 58.70 (9.60) | 59.89 (8.84) | NA |
| Sex | ||||
| Female | 35 (13.6) | 10 (13.3) | 25 (13.7) | NA |
| Male | 222 (86.4) | 65 (86.7) | 157 (86.3) | |
| Primary tumor site | ||||
| Tonsil | 135 (52.5) | 38 (50.7) | 97 (53.3) | NA |
| BOT | 116 (45.1) | 34 (45.3) | 82 (45.0) | |
| GPS | 6 (2.3) | 3 (4.0) | 3 (1.6) | |
| Clinical T stage of primary tumor (AJCC Staging Manual, 7th ed) | ||||
| 1 | 124 (48.2) | 40 (53.3) | 84 (46.2) | NA |
| 2 | 126 (49.0) | 34 (45.3) | 92 (50.6) | |
| 3 | 7 (2.7) | 1 (1.3) | 6 (3.3) | |
| Baseline primary tumor volume, median (range), cm3 | 6.50 (0.30-29.30) | 5.15 (0.30-21.90) | 6.95 (0.50-29.30) | 0.18 (0.04-0.29) |
| Clinical N stage of primary tumor (AJCC Staging Manual, 7th ed) | ||||
| N0 | 50 (19.5) | 31 (41.3) | 19 (10.4) | 0.40 (0.27-0.51) |
| N1 | 35 (13.6) | 15 (20.0) | 20 (11.0) | |
| N2a | 19 (7.4) | 4 (5.3) | 15 (8.2) | |
| N2b | 153 (59.5) | 25 (33.3) | 128 (70.3) | |
| Induction chemotherapy | 21 (8.2) | 4 (5.3) | 17 (9.3) | NA |
| Radiotherapy | 219 (85.2) | 37 (49.3) | 182 (100) | NA |
| Concurrent chemotherapy and radiotherapy | 162 (63.0) | 15 (20.0) | 147 (80.8) | NA |
| Radiotherapy dose, median (range), cGy | 6996 (6000-7000) | 6000 (5000-6996) | 6996 (6000-7000) | 0.61 (0.52-0.69) |
| Radiotherapy laterality | ||||
| No radiotherapy | 38 (14.8) | 38 (50.7) | 0 | 0.67 (0.58-0.75) |
| Unilateral | 54 (21.0) | 17 (22.7) | 37 (20.3) | |
| Bilateral | 165 (64.2) | 20 (26.7) | 145 (79.7) | |
| Proton radiation therapy | 44 (20.1) | 5 (13.5) | 39 (21.4) | NA |
| Neck dissection | 93 (36.2) | 75 (100) | 18 (9.9) | 0.85 (0.79-0.91) |
| Baseline DIGEST score | ||||
| 0 | 200 (80.6) | 53 (73.6) | 147 (83.3) | 0.13 (0.0-0.22) |
| 1 | 44 (17.7) | 16 (22.2) | 28 (16.1) | |
| 2 | 4 (1.6) | 3 (4.2) | 1 (0.6) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Baseline MDADI global score | ||||
| 40 | 7 (3.0) | 3 (4.6) | 4 (2.4) | NA |
| 60 | 5 (2.1) | 2 (3.0) | 3 (1.8) | |
| 80 | 42 (17.9) | 12 (18.2) | 30 (17.6) | |
| 100 | 181 (77.0) | 49 (74.2) | 132 (78.1) | |
| Baseline MDADI composite score, median (range) | 95.79 (54.74-100) | 94.74 (54.74-100) | 95.79 (57.89-100) | NA |
| Baseline MDADI physical score, median (range) | 100 (45-100) | 100 (45-100) | 100 (55-100) | NA |
| Baseline MDADI emotional score, median (range) | 86.67 (43.33-100) | 86.67 (43.33-100) | 86.67 (56.67-100) | NA |
| Baseline MDADI functional score, median (range) | 100 (64-100) | 100 (68-100) | 100 (64-100) | NA |
| Baseline MDASI-HN swallowing symptom severity item score, median (range) | 0 (0-9) | 0 (0-3) | 0 (0-9) | NA |
| Baseline MDASI-HN swallowing symptom severity item score category | ||||
| None | 133 (68.6) | 24 (72.7) | 109 (67.7) | NA |
| Mild | 56 (28.9) | 9 (27.3) | 47 (29.2) | |
| Moderate to severe | 5 (2.6) | 0 | 5 (3.1) | |
| Baseline MDASI-HN choke score, median (range) | 0 (0-8) | 0 (0-8) | 0 (0-7) | NA |
| Baseline MDASI-HN choke score category | ||||
| None | 156 (80.0) | 30 (88.2) | 126 (78.3) | NA |
| Mild | 35 (18.0) | 3 (8.8) | 32 (19.9) | |
| Moderate to severe | 4 (2.0) | 1 (2.9) | 3 (1.9) |
Abbreviations: AJCC, American Joint Committee on Cancer; BOT, base of tongue; DIGEST, Dynamic Imaging Grade of Swallowing Toxicity; GPS, glossopharyngeal sulcus; MDADI, MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory; MDASI-HN, MD Anderson Symptom Inventory–Head and Neck Module; NA, not applicable; TORS, transoral robotic surgery.
a
Data are presented as number (percentage) of patients unless otherwise indicated. Baseline DIGEST in 246 patients and MDADI in 235 patients.
b
Effect sizes reported for significant differences between primary treatment groups. When the 2 study groups are compared on an ordinal variable, the effect size r is reported, and when the 2 study groups are compared on a categorical variable, Cramer V is reported.