Combination of Performance Status and Lymphocyte-monocyte Ratio as a Novel Prognostic Marker for Patients With Recurrent/Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck.

Background/Aim: We previously presented the real-world treatment outcomes of the EXTREME regimen as a first-line therapy for recurrent/metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (R/M SCCHN). This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic significance of pretreatment inflammatory biomarkers in patients with R/M-SCCHN treated with the EXTREME regimen as first-line therapy as a supplementary study of our previous retrospective cohort study. Patients and Methods: The treatment outcomes of 100 patients with R/M-SCCHN treated with the EXTREME regimen as first-line therapy were compared according to patient characteristics and pretreatment inflammatory biomarkers using a Cox proportional hazards regression model. Survival was evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: In multivariate analysis, a lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) of <1.944 and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS) of 1 were independent risk factors for poor overall and progression-free survival. Furthermore, we found that the PS-LMR score based on the ECOG PS and LMR could stratify patients to extract the poor prognostic characteristics of R/M-SCCHN patients treated with the EXTREME regimen as first-line therapy. Conclusion: Further evaluation is warranted to study the reliability and applicability of this novel scoring system in predicting the prognosis of R/M-SCCHN patients in the future.

Real-world Treatment Outcomes of the EXTREME Regimen as First-line Therapy for Recurrent/Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck: A Multi-center Retrospective Cohort Study in Japan.

BACKGROUND/AIM: This Japanese multiple-center retrospective study aimed to examine the real-world treatment outcomes of the EXTREME regimen as a first-line therapy for recurrent/metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (R/M SCCHN). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 100 R/M SCCHN patients treated with the EXTREME regimen as first-line therapy were analyzed. The treatment outcomes were evaluated to compare patient and treatment characteristics with overall survival. RESULTS: Patients treated with carboplatin-based EXTREME regimen showed similar overall survival with less adverse effects compared to that of patients using cisplatin. The post-progression survival was significantly longer in patients treated with second-line treatment following the EXTREME regimen than in those without second-line treatment. CONCLUSION: The carboplatin-based EXTREME regimen was more feasible with similar treatment outcomes compared to cisplatin-based EXTREME regimen. In addition, subsequent lines of therapy contributed to improvement of survival for R/M SCCHN patients.

A comparison of short-term outcomes of neck dissection for head and neck cancers using Thunderbeat™, LigaSure™ or treatment without an energy-based device: A case controlled study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the new energy-based device Thunderbeat in neck dissection (ND) for head and neck cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively examined 95 consecutive patients who underwent ND for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma between April 2013 and March 2018. The patients were divided into three groups: ND without the energy-based device (control group), ND using the LigaSure Small Jaw (LS group), and ND using the Thunderbeat Open Fine Jaw (TB group). The outcomes were compared among the three groups, as measured by the duration of ND (dissection time), blood loss during ND, and postoperative complications. We also analyzed the factors that may influence dissection time using multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Compared to the control group, dissection time was found to be significantly shorter in both energy-based device groups (LS group and TB group) (96.4, 71.1, and 66.0 min, respectively, p = 0.0015) by univariate analysis. Blood loss during ND did not differ significantly among the three groups. Multivariate analysis showed that ND using the Thunderbeat as well as elderly patients (70 years and over), less extensive surgery (3 or fewer neck levels), and absence of extracapsular invasion were independently and significantly associated with shorter dissection time (p = 0.0069, 0.0337, <0.0001, and 0.0015, respectively). The incidence of postoperative complications in the LS group (20%) tended to be higher than those in the other groups (5.6% in the control group and 3.4% in the TB group), although the differences were not significant. CONCLUSION: ND for head and neck cancers using the Thunderbeat is a safe and reliable method in terms of duration of dissection without increasing postoperative complications.