Clinical data, survival, and prognosis of 426 cases of oropharyngeal cancer: A retrospective analysis

Abstract Objective: To determine factors influencing survival and prognosis of HPV-related and non-related oropharyngeal cancer. Methods: Subjects were determined from the three hospitals in Anhui province of China between 2015 and 2020. Paraffin-embedded specimens from participants’ tissues were analyzed, and the subjects were classified as P16+ and P16– cases using immunohistochemical staining for P16 protein. Results: 426 patients with oropharyngeal cancer were recruited in this study, 108 cases were found to be P16+. The subjects were treated with the three regimens: surgery/radiotherapy/chemotherapy (SRCT), radiotherapy/chemotherapy (RCT), surgery/chemotherapy (SCT). There were no statistically significant differences in the survival rates within the P16+ or P16– groups between the three treatment regimens (P > 0.05). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates for P16+ and P16– groups were statistically different (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that age, physical health status, smoking, and alcohol abuse were independent risk factors affecting the prognosis of P16+ cases, while pathological grading and TNM staging were independent risk factors affecting the P16– cases. Conclusion: The etiology, pathogenesis, survival status, and prognostic factors of HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer are very different from those of traditional oropharyngeal cancer. Thus, HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer could be classified as a separate type of disease. This distinction could be of great significance for treatment, prevention, and prognostication of oropharyngeal cancer.