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Patient perspectives and treatment regret after de‐escalated chemoradiation for human papillomavirus‐positive oropharyngeal cancer: Findings from a phase II trial
Author(s) -
Shaverdian Narek,
Hegde John V.,
Felix Carol,
Hsu Sophia,
Basehart Vincent,
Steinberg Michael L.,
Chen Allen M.
Publication year - 2019
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.25760
Subject(s) - regret , medicine , swallowing , human papillomavirus , cancer , oncology , stage (stratigraphy) , surgery , paleontology , machine learning , computer science , biology
Abstract Background We evaluated priorities, expectations, and regret among patients treated on a phase II trial of de‐escalated chemoradiation for human papillomavirus (HPV)‐positive oropharyngeal cancer. Methods Eligibility included stage III/IV squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx, p16‐positivity, age ≥18 years, and Zubrod score 0‐1. Participants were surveyed with validated measures evaluating their treatment experience. Results Twenty‐four of 27 (89%) patients participated with a median follow‐up of 24 months. Twenty‐three subjects (96%) selected “being cured” or “living as long as possible” as top priority. No patient reported any regret about the decision to enroll on a de‐escalation protocol. Sixteen participants (67%) found retrospectively reported long‐term swallowing function to be either better than or as originally expected. Conclusions These data offer a baseline landscape of perspectives and priorities for patients treated with de‐escalation for HPV‐positive oropharyngeal carcinoma and provide support to the fundamental premise underlying ongoing efforts to establish a new standard of care.