Premium
Race disparities attributed to volumetric tumor burden in patients with head and neck cancer treated with radiotherapy
Author(s) -
Qureshi Muhammad M.,
Romesser Paul B.,
Ajani Abdallah,
Kachnic Lisa A.,
Jalisi Scharukh,
Truong Minh Tam
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
head and neck
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.012
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1097-0347
pISSN - 1043-3074
DOI - 10.1002/hed.23863
Subject(s) - medicine , head and neck cancer , radiation therapy , head and neck , cancer , primary tumor , surgery , oncology , metastasis
Background The purpose of this study was to evaluate how gross tumor volume (GTV) affects treatment outcome among different race/ethnic groups in patients with head and neck cancer receiving definitive radiotherapy (RT). Methods Ninety‐one patients with head and neck cancer were treated to a median RT dose of 69.96 Gy in 33 fractions. The patient's self‐reported race/ethnicity, primary tumor, and nodal GTV were obtained. Two‐year actuarial local, nodal, and distant control, and overall and disease‐free survival were calculated. Results The patients were categorized as white ( n = 43) or non‐white ( n = 48), which included 29 African Americans, 11 Hispanics, 5 Asians, and 3 others. The mean primary GTV was 21.0 cc and 39.9 cc for whites and non‐whites, respectively ( p = .011). White patients reported improved overall survival of 85.4% compared to non‐whites (65.8%; p = .006). Improvements in local and nodal control and disease‐free survival rates were also observed. Conclusion White patients demonstrated improved treatment outcomes compared with non‐whites, which may be reflective of tumor volume. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: 126–134, 2016