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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2020 Jun 10.
Published in final edited form as: JAMA Oncol. 2015 Oct;1(7):907–915. doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2015.2524

Table 1.

Participant Characteristics and Association With Disease-Free and Overall Survival

Disease-Free Survival Overall Survival
Characteristic
(n = 124)a
No. (%) Univariate,
HR (95%CI)
P Value Multivariate,
aHR (95% CI)b
P Value Univariate,
HR (95% CI)
P Value Multivariate,
aHR (95% CI)b
P Value
Age, y
 <50 32 (26) 1 [Reference] 1 [Reference]
 51-55 27 (22) 1.1 (0.2-5.6) .88 1.2 (0.2-8.3) .88
 56-60 33 (27) 1.5 (0.3-6.5) .63 0.5 (0.1-5.6) .58
 >60 32 (26) 1.3 (0.3-5.9) .71 0.4 (0.04-5.0) .52
Sex
 Female 12 (10) 1 [Reference] 1 [Reference]
 Male 112 (90) 0.6 (0.1-2.8) .55 0.5 (0.1-4.4) .55
Annual income, $
 <50 000 16 (15) 1 [Reference] 1 [Reference]
 50 000-99 999 36 (33) 1.3 (0.3-6.9) .74 0.5 (0.03-7.5) .59
 ≥100 000 58 (53) 0.4 (0.1-2.6) .36 0.3 (0.02-4.1) .34
Education
 High school or less 52 (44) 1 [Reference] .11 1 [Reference] .17
 College or advanced degree 67 (56) 0.5 (0.2-1.6) .26 0.7 (0.1-3.3) .63
Smoking, per 10 pack-years 1.4 (1.1-1.8) .003 1.2 (1.0-1.5) 1.5 (1.1-2.1) .01 1.3 (0.9-1.8)
Smoking status
 Current 13 (11) 1 [Reference] 1 [Reference]
 Former 38 (31) 1.0 (0.2-3.7) .95 0.4 (0.06-3.1) .40
 Never 70 (58) 0.3 (0.06-1.2) .09 0.2 (0.03-1.5) .11
Alcohol use
 Current 13 (11) 1 [Reference] 1 [Reference]
 Former 38 (31) 3.3 (0.9-11.6) .07 2.1 (0.3-15.2) .45
 Never 70 (58) 3.3 (0.9-13.4) .09 3.4 (0.5-24.2) .22
T stage
 T1-T2 75 (65) 1 [Reference] .16 1 [Reference] .07 1 [Reference] .38 1 [Reference] .26
 T3-T4 40 (35) 2.1 (0.8-6.2) 3.1 (0.9-10.6) 2.1 (0.4-10.2) 2.7 (0.5-15.1)
N stage
 N0-N2a 37 (30) 1 [Reference] .44
 N2b-N3 85 (70) 1.7 (0.5-5.9) NAc
Overall stage
 <IV 22 (18) 1 [Reference] .33
 IV 99 (82) 2.8 (0.4-21.1) NAc
Oropharynx subsite
 Tonsil 60 (48) 1 [Reference] .99 1 [Reference] .92
 Base of tongue or other oropharynx 64 (52) 1.0 (0.4-2.9) 0.9 (0.2-4.6)
Treatmentd
 Radiation based 78 (64) 1 [Reference] .46 1 [Reference] .11
 Surgery based 45 (37) 1.5 (0.5-4.3) 4.0 (0.7-21.8)
HPV16 DNA detection in oral rinses at diagnosis
 No 57 (46) 1 [Reference] .17 1 [Reference] .18
 Yes 67 (54) 2.3 (0.7-7.3) 4.4 (0.5-37.4)
HPV16 viral load in oral rinses at diagnosis
 Undetectable 64 (53) 1 [Reference] .06e 1 [Reference]b .11e 1 [Reference] .01e 1 [Reference]b .05e
 Low (<160 copies/2 μL) 28 (23) 3.9 (1.0-15.1) 3.3 (0.7-14.2) 2.4 (0.2-38.9) 2.9 (0.2-50.3)
 High (≥160 copies/2 μL) 29 (24) 3.2 (0.9-12.0) 2.9 (0.8-11.1) 10.1 (1.1-90.7) 8.3 (0.9-76.4)
Persistent HPV16 DNA detection in oral rinses after treatment
 No 119 (96) 1 [Reference] <.001 1 [Reference]b <.001 1 [Reference] <.001 1 [Reference]b
 Yes 5 (4) 29.7 (9.0-98.2) 35.8 (8.6-149.1) 23.5 (4.7-116.9) 16.1 (2.8-92.7) .002

Abbreviations: aHR, adjusted hazard ratio; HPV, human papillomavirus; HR, hazard ratio.

a

In cases in which total across categories is not equal to 124, data regarding that characteristic were missing for at least 1 participant.

b

The aHRs for HPV16 DNA viral load at diagnosis, and persistent HPV16 DNA detection were calculated in separate models, each adjusted for T stage and pack- years smoking. The aHRs for T stage and pack-years smoking are shown for model with persistent HPV16 DNA detection.

c

No deaths occurred in the early N stage group or early overall stage group, so HR was unobtainable.

d

Treatment was categorized according to the primary modality selected by the clinical care team. Of 78 participants who received radiation therapy, 75 (96%) also received chemotherapy. Of 45 participants who received surgery-based treatment, 32 (71%) also received radiation therapy and chemotherapy, and an additional 11 (24%) also received radiation therapy but no chemotherapy.

e

P value for trend across categories of increasing viral load.