Survival analysis of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma patients linked to histopathology, disease stage, tumor stage, risk factors, and received therapy

Survival of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients depends on the risk and environmental factors, tumor biology, achievements in diagnostics and treatment approaches. To perform a survival analysis of the patients with OSCC treated over a 10-year period in a single hospital in Latvia linking these data to histopathological findings, risk factors and received therapy. The main outcome measures were overall and disease-specific survival (OS and DS) along with histopathology analysis. Kaplan - Meier survival analysis showed better survival for females, younger patients lacking bad habits, operated and received radiotherapy, with lower T grade and disease stage. Cox regression showed diminished early death risk in patients with lower T grade, no regional metastases (N0) and bad habits, operated and received radiotherapy. A vast majority of tumors were localized in palatine tonsils and the base of the tongue. The localization did not correlate with mean survival time/survival. Lower OS (p = 0.03) and DS (p = 0.026) were estimated for patients with pharyngeal wall and tonsillar involvement compared to tumors localized in the soft palate. A histological variant of tumor seemed irrelevant estimating OS and DS, whereas therapeutic modalities significantly affected survival. OSCC patients with lower T grade, N0 status, lacking bad habits, and surgically treated had better survival.