Comparison of patient stratification according to the 7th and 8th edition of the TNM staging system of AJCC / UICC for oropharyngeal cancer (OPSCC) in a patient collective in Münster

Background The 8th edition of the AJCC / UICC were changed significantly in 2017 because of findings regarding the higher survival rate of patients with HPV-positive OPSCC compared to those with HPV-negative OPSCC.

Materials and Methods 520 cases of OPSCC with known HPV-Status who were treated at the ENT Clinic of University Hospital of Münster (2002–2016) were included in the study. Based on the medical records, the data incl. Staging according to 7th edition of the TNM classification system by AJCC / UICC was retrospectively recorded. Furthermore the cases were reclassified according to the updated TNM staging system 8th edition based on the HPV status. The 10-year overall survival (10YOS) was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and groups in pairs were compared using the log-rank test. P values of 0.05 were considered significant for all tests.

Conclusions 41 % of cases were downgraded according to the 8th edition. Classified by the 7th edition of the TNM classification system, the log-rank test in group comparisons revealed statistically significant differences in stage pairs only between stages I / IV and III / IV for both 10-year progression-free survival and -overall survival. But the 8th AJCC/UICC TNM classification system could differentiate significantly in log-rank test between all stage pairs for 10-year progression-free and -overall survival with the exception only between stages I with II for overall survival.

Conclusions There is clear evidence that the 8th edition of the classification system ensures better patient stratification for patients with OPSCC.

Poster-PDF A-1136.PDF

Publication History

Article published online:
10 June 2020