Clinical and pathological parameters prognostic for increased risk of recurrence after postoperative radiotherapy for temporal bone carcinoma

Background Most authors agree that radical surgery for advanced, aggressive temporal bone squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) should be followed by postoperative radiotherapy (PORT). The purpose of this study was to identify clinical and/or conventional pathological parameters capable of pinpointing patients with temporal bone SCC at higher risk of recurrence after PORT. Methods The investigation concerned 27 consecutive patients undergoing PORT for primary temporal bone SCC. Results Univariate statistics revealed a difference in the distributions for pT classification (p = .0004), pathological grade (p = .006), and dura mater involvement (p = .015) when patients were grouped by presence versus absence of recurrence after PORT. A panel of 3 parameters comprising pT classification (pT4), pathological grade (G2 or G3), and dura mater involvement demonstrated an outstanding discriminatory power (area under the curve [AUC] receiver operating characteristic [ROC] = 0.912) in predicting temporal bone SCC recurrence after PORT. Conclusion The panel considered had an outstanding discriminatory power in pinpointing patients at higher risk of recurrence who could benefit from stricter follow‐up protocols and postoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for temporal bone SCC. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: 894–898, 2016