Association of histological features with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma recurrences: a population-based study of 1502 patients in the Netherlands

• Main Authors: Bruggink, A.H (Author), de Bree, R. (Author), Doornaert, P.A.H (Author), Philippens, M.E.P (Author), Ruiter, L.N (Author), van Dijk, B.A.C (Author), van Gils, C.H (Author), Willems, S.M (Author)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BioMed Central Ltd 2022
• Subjects: cancer staging; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; epidemiology; Head and Neck Neoplasms; head and neck tumor; Histology; human; Humans; Laryngeal neoplasms; Laryngeal Neoplasms; larynx tumor; Neoplasm Invasiveness; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; Neoplasm Staging; Netherlands; pathology; Pathology; prognosis; Prognosis; Recurrence; Retrospective Studies; retrospective study; squamous cell carcinoma; Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck; Squamous cell carcinoma; Survival; tumor invasion; tumor recurrence
• Online Access: View Fulltext in Publisher

 Background: Recurrences remain an important problem in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Little has been described about histological characteristics of the primary laryngeal tumor that may be associated with recurrences. Identifying risk factors for recurrences might help in adapting treatment or follow-up. Using real-life population-based data, we aimed to identify histological features of the primary tumor associated with recurrences and overall survival. Material and methods: Demographic, clinical and treatment information on all first primary invasive laryngeal tumors diagnosed in 2010–2014 (N = 3705) were extracted from the population-based nationwide Netherlands cancer registry (NCR) and linked to PALGA, the nationwide Dutch pathology registry, to obtain data on histological factors and recurrences. For a random 1502 patients histological information i.e., keratinization, perineural invasion (PNI+), vascular invasion (VI+), growth pattern, degree of differentiation, extracapsular spread (ECS+), cartilage- and bone invasion and extralaryngeal extension, was manually extracted from narrative pathology reports and analyzed for locoregional recurrence and overall survival using cox regression analysis. Results: In total, 299 patients developed a locoregional recurrence and 555 patients died. Keratinization (HR = 0.96 (95%CI: 0.68–1.34) p = 0.79), two or three adverse characteristics (PNI+, VI+, non-cohesive growth) (HR = 1.38 (95% CI: 0.63–3.01) p = 0.42), and ECS+ (HR = 1.38 (95% CI: 0.48–4.02) p = 0.55) were not associated to recurrence. For death, also no significant association was found. Conclusion: In this population-based real-life dataset on laryngeal carcinoma in the Netherlands, histological factors were not associated with locoregional recurrences or overall survival, but future studies should investigate the role of these features in treatment decisions. © 2022, The Author(s).