Objective:To analyze the efficacy of delineating the clinical target volume (CTV) following the trajectory of trigeminal nerve branches and elective neck irradiation (ENI) in postoperative intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for adenoid cystic carcinoma of head and neck (ACCHN).Methods:In this study, the data of ACCHN patients without distal metastasis who received postoperative radiotherapy after radical surgery at the Ninth People's Hospital of Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine from January 2016 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Postoperative radiotherapy target zone and intensity-modulated radiotherapy plan for ACCHN were formulated according to the site of primary focus, whether nerve invasion and pathological staging. Kaplan-Meier method was applied to perform survival analysis, while assessing the tumor local control rate and locoregional recurrence pattern under this target zone outlining principle.Results:A total of 309 ACCHN patients were included. With a median follow-up of 49 months, the 5-year local control rate was 93.2%, the 5-year overall survival rate, locoregional recurrence-free survival rate, and distant metastasis-free survival rate were 90.8%, 90.6%, 66.3%, respectively. Twenty-three patients developed locoregional recurrence, including 14 with primary tumor recurrence alone, 5 with regional lymph node recurrence alone, and 4 with both primary and regional lymph node recurrence. Among the patients with primary tumor recurrence, 11 had recurrence related to the trigeminal nerve branches,and 7 had recurrence in the tumor bed or surgical bed region, with no out-of-field recurrence. Among the 9 patients with lymph node recurrence, none had undergone neck dissection.Conclusions:Delineating the CTV following the trigeminal nerve branches in postoperative radiotherapy for ACCHN achieves excellent local control. Elective neck irradiation avoids irradiation of the entire neck lymphatic drainage area with a low regional recurrence rate.

Objective:To evaluate the impact of surgical margin status and pathological subtypes on the prognosis of patients with adenoid cystic carcinoma of the head and neck (ACCHN) who underwent postoperative radiotherapy.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 309 patients with initially treated, non-metastatic ACCHN who completed postoperative radiotherapy at Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine from January 2016 to December 2022. All patients underwent curative (non-palliative) surgery followed by postoperative radiotherapy, with a median dose of 66 Gy (range: 54-70 Gy). The Kaplan-Meier method was used to compare 5-year local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) between R0 (negative margin) and non-R0 resections in patients with initially resectable (T 1-T 4a stage) and initially unresectable (T 4b stage) disease. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were employed to analyze risk factors for local recurrence, with a focus on surgical margin status and pathological subtypes. Results:The median follow-up was 48 months. Of the 309 patients included in the study, 133 were males and 176 were females, with a median age of 51 years (range: 18-77 years). Primary tumors were located in the major salivary glands in 135 cases (including 42 in the parotid gland, 65 in the submandibular gland, and 28 in the sublingual gland) and in the minor salivary glands in 174 cases. The 5-year overall survival, locoregional recurrence-free survival, distant metastasis-free survival, and progression-free survival rates were 91.5%, 90.8%, 66.1%, and 63.9%, respectively. Non-R0 resection was achieved in 177 patients (57.3%). Among initially resectable patients ( n=253), the non-R0 resection rate was 49.0% ( n=124), with only 6 cases (2.4%) experiencing local recurrence (all non-R0 resections). In initially unresectable patients ( n=56), the non-R0 resection rate was as high as 95% ( n=53), with 13 cases (23%) experiencing local recurrence (2 cases in non-R0 resection and 1 case in R0 resection). For initially resectable patients, non-R0 resection significantly reduced the 5-year LRFS rate to 95.2%, compared to 100% in R0 resection patients ( P=0.014). However, multivariate analysis revealed that the solid pathological subtype was an independent risk factor for 5-year LRFS ( HR=7.40, 95% CI: 2.81-19.52, P<0.001), while the surgical margin status was not an independent factor. Conclusions:The combined strategy of surgery and postoperative radiotherapy provides high local control rates for ACCHN patients. Achieving R0 resection is crucial for initially resectable patients, while a comprehensive treatment strategy involving surgery and postoperative radiotherapy remains essential for initially unresectable patients. The solid pathological subtype is the most significant risk factor for local recurrence.

Objective:To analyze the efficacy of delineating the clinical target volume (CTV) following the trajectory of trigeminal nerve branches and elective neck irradiation (ENI) in postoperative intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for adenoid cystic carcinoma of head and neck (ACCHN).Methods:In this study, the data of ACCHN patients without distal metastasis who received postoperative radiotherapy after radical surgery at the Ninth People's Hospital of Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine from January 2016 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Postoperative radiotherapy target zone and intensity-modulated radiotherapy plan for ACCHN were formulated according to the site of primary focus, whether nerve invasion and pathological staging. Kaplan-Meier method was applied to perform survival analysis, while assessing the tumor local control rate and locoregional recurrence pattern under this target zone outlining principle.Results:A total of 309 ACCHN patients were included. With a median follow-up of 49 months, the 5-year local control rate was 93.2%, the 5-year overall survival rate, locoregional recurrence-free survival rate, and distant metastasis-free survival rate were 90.8%, 90.6%, 66.3%, respectively. Twenty-three patients developed locoregional recurrence, including 14 with primary tumor recurrence alone, 5 with regional lymph node recurrence alone, and 4 with both primary and regional lymph node recurrence. Among the patients with primary tumor recurrence, 11 had recurrence related to the trigeminal nerve branches,and 7 had recurrence in the tumor bed or surgical bed region, with no out-of-field recurrence. Among the 9 patients with lymph node recurrence, none had undergone neck dissection.Conclusions:Delineating the CTV following the trigeminal nerve branches in postoperative radiotherapy for ACCHN achieves excellent local control. Elective neck irradiation avoids irradiation of the entire neck lymphatic drainage area with a low regional recurrence rate.

Objective:To evaluate the impact of surgical margin status and pathological subtypes on the prognosis of patients with adenoid cystic carcinoma of the head and neck (ACCHN) who underwent postoperative radiotherapy.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 309 patients with initially treated, non-metastatic ACCHN who completed postoperative radiotherapy at Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine from January 2016 to December 2022. All patients underwent curative (non-palliative) surgery followed by postoperative radiotherapy, with a median dose of 66 Gy (range: 54-70 Gy). The Kaplan-Meier method was used to compare 5-year local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) between R0 (negative margin) and non-R0 resections in patients with initially resectable (T 1-T 4a stage) and initially unresectable (T 4b stage) disease. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were employed to analyze risk factors for local recurrence, with a focus on surgical margin status and pathological subtypes. Results:The median follow-up was 48 months. Of the 309 patients included in the study, 133 were males and 176 were females, with a median age of 51 years (range: 18-77 years). Primary tumors were located in the major salivary glands in 135 cases (including 42 in the parotid gland, 65 in the submandibular gland, and 28 in the sublingual gland) and in the minor salivary glands in 174 cases. The 5-year overall survival, locoregional recurrence-free survival, distant metastasis-free survival, and progression-free survival rates were 91.5%, 90.8%, 66.1%, and 63.9%, respectively. Non-R0 resection was achieved in 177 patients (57.3%). Among initially resectable patients ( n=253), the non-R0 resection rate was 49.0% ( n=124), with only 6 cases (2.4%) experiencing local recurrence (all non-R0 resections). In initially unresectable patients ( n=56), the non-R0 resection rate was as high as 95% ( n=53), with 13 cases (23%) experiencing local recurrence (2 cases in non-R0 resection and 1 case in R0 resection). For initially resectable patients, non-R0 resection significantly reduced the 5-year LRFS rate to 95.2%, compared to 100% in R0 resection patients ( P=0.014). However, multivariate analysis revealed that the solid pathological subtype was an independent risk factor for 5-year LRFS ( HR=7.40, 95% CI: 2.81-19.52, P<0.001), while the surgical margin status was not an independent factor. Conclusions:The combined strategy of surgery and postoperative radiotherapy provides high local control rates for ACCHN patients. Achieving R0 resection is crucial for initially resectable patients, while a comprehensive treatment strategy involving surgery and postoperative radiotherapy remains essential for initially unresectable patients. The solid pathological subtype is the most significant risk factor for local recurrence.

With the increasing proportion of human papilloma virus(HPV)infection in the pathogenic factors of oro-pharyngeal cancer,a series of changes have occurred in the surgical treatment.While the treatment mode has been im-proved,there are still many problems,including the inconsistency between diagnosis and treatment modes,the lack of popularization of reconstruction technology,the imperfect post-treatment rehabilitation system,and the lack of effective preventive measures.Especially in terms of treatment mode for early oropharyngeal cancer,there is no unified conclu-sion whether it is surgery alone or radiotherapy alone,and whether robotic minimally invasive surgery has better func-tional protection than radiotherapy.For advanced oropharyngeal cancer,there is greater controversy over the treatment mode.It is still unclear whether to adopt a non-surgical treatment mode of synchronous chemoradiotherapy or induction chemotherapy combined with synchronous chemoradiotherapy,or a treatment mode of surgery combined with postopera-tive chemoradiotherapy.In order to standardize the surgical treatment of oropharyngeal cancer in China and clarify the indications for surgical treatment of oropharyngeal cancer,this expert consensus,based on the characteristics and treat-ment status of oropharyngeal cancer in China and combined with the international latest theories and practices,forms consensus opinions in multiple aspects of preoperative evaluation,surgical indication determination,primary tumor re-section,neck lymph node dissection,postoperative defect repair,postoperative complication management prognosis and follow-up of oropharyngeal cancer patients.The key points include:① Before the treatment of oropharyngeal cancer,the expression of P16 protein should be detected to clarify HPV status;② Perform enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of the maxillofacial region before surgery to evaluate the invasion of oropharyngeal cancer and guide precise surgical resec-tion of oropharyngeal cancer.Evaluating mouth opening and airway status is crucial for surgical approach decisions and postoperative risk prediction;③ For oropharyngeal cancer patients who have to undergo major surgery and cannot eat for one to two months,it is recommended to undergo percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy before surgery to effectively improve their nutritional intake during treatment;④ Early-stage oropharyngeal cancer patients may opt for either sur-gery alone or radiation therapy alone.For intermediate and advanced stages,HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer general-ly prioritizes radiation therapy,with concurrent chemotherapy considered based on tumor staging.Surgical treatment is recommended as the first choice for HPV unrelated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma(including primary and re-current)and recurrent HPV related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma after radiotherapy and chemotherapy;⑤ For primary exogenous T1-2 oropharyngeal cancer,direct surgery through the oral approach or da Vinci robotic sur-gery is preferred.For T3-4 patients with advanced oropharyngeal cancer,it is recommended to use temporary mandibu-lectomy approach and lateral pharyngotomy approach for surgery as appropriate;⑥ For cT1-2N0 oropharyngeal cancer patients with tumor invasion depth＞3 mm and cT3-4N0 HPV unrelated oropharyngeal cancer patients,selective neck dissection of levels ⅠB to Ⅳ is recommended.For cN+HPV unrelated oropharyngeal cancer patients,therapeutic neck dissection in regions Ⅰ-Ⅴ is advised;⑦ If PET-CT scan at 12 or more weeks after completion of radiation shows intense FDG uptake in any node,or imaging suggests continuous enlargement of lymph nodes,the patient should undergo neck dissection;⑧ For patients with suspected extracapsular invasion preoperatively,lymph node dissection should include removal of surrounding muscle and adipose connective tissue;⑨ The reconstruction of oropharyngeal cancer defects should follow the principle of reconstruction steps,with priority given to adjacent flaps,followed by distal pedicled flaps,and finally free flaps.The anterolateral thigh flap with abundant tissue can be used as the preferred flap for large-scale postoperative defects.

Objective:To investigate the optimal treatment modalities and prognostic factors of adenoid cystic carcinoma of the head and neck salivary gland.Methods:From January 2016 to December 2018, clinical data of 166 patients with adenoid cystic carcinoma of the head and neck salivary gland who received postoperative radiotherapy at Department of Radiation Oncology of the Ninth People′s Hospital of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine were retrospectively analyzed. The survival analysis was performed by Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate prognostic analysis was conducted by log-rank test. Multivariate prognostic analysis was carried out by Cox proportional hazard regression model.Results:Among 166 enrolled patients, 70 cases were male and 96 female with an average age of 53 years (18 to 71 years). The median follow-up time was 31.2 months (8.6-63.1 months). Sixty-six patients underwent radical surgery (extended resection across the anatomical areas outside the tumor bed, pursuing negative margins of various resections), and the remaining 100 patients underwent conservative surgery (only extended resection of lesions, not pursuing negative nerve resection margins). The median dose of postoperative radiotherapy was 66 Gy (54-70 Gy). Seventy-three patients were treated with TP regime due to positive or close margins and 9 cases of cervical lymph node metastasis. The 3-and 5-year overall survival (OS), locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRRFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), progression-free survival (PFS) rates were 95% and 95%, 93% and 93%, 74% and 66%, 73% and 65%, respectively. Seven patients experienced primary lesion recurrence, 5 cases of regional lymph node recurrence and 38 cases of distant metastasis. T 3-T 4 stage, lymph nodes (+ ), stage IV, solid pathologic subtype, Ki-67≥10% and perineural invasion were associated with worse PFS and DMFS. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that only solid pathologic subtype was the independent prognostic factor of OS, LRRFS, PFS and DMFS. Conclusions:The local control rate of salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinoma can be improved by postoperative intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) with a recommended dose of ≥66 Gy. Solid pathologic subtype is the most important adverse prognostic factor.

Objective To assess the efficacy and safety of post operative adjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy for patients with high-risk salivary gland tumors (SGT).Methods Fifty-two patients with moderate or high malignant pathological stage complicated with locally advanced stage Ⅲ/ⅣA±positive margin/close margin admitted to Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital from 2016 to 2018 were enrolled in this study.Among them,35 patients were male and 17 female with a median age of 55.5 years old (range:21-73 years old).All 52 patients were treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy and concurrent chemotherapy.Patients with adeno carcinoma of the salivary gland receives concurrent chemotherapy with TP regimen.Patients with lympho epithelial cancer and squamous cell carcinoma were treated with cisplatin regimen.Results Forty-seven patients (90％) completed two cycles of concurrent chemotherapy,and five patients (10％) completed one cycle of concurrent chemotherapy.The median follow-up time was 15.7 months (3.2-34.8 months).The 2-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were 74％ and 98％.Three patients experienced regional lymph recurrence and 6 cases had distant metastasis.Grade Ⅲ oral mucositis was observed in 30 patients.Grade Ⅲ dermatitis occurred in 5 cases.Only one patient experienced Grade Ⅳ neutropenia,and 2 patients developed Grade Ⅲ neutropenia.DFS was positively correlated with the cycle of postoperative adjuvant concurrent chemotherapy (P=0.006).Conclusions Patients with high-risk SGT can obtain higher 2-year DFS and OS rates and tolerable adverse events after postoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy.Nevertheless,the long-term outcomes remain to be validated by randomized controlled clinical trials.

Objective To retrospectively analyze the treatment outcomes and failure patterns in patients with head?and?neck cancer of unknown primary head?and?neck cancer of unknown primary, and to compare the efficacy between elective mucosal irradiation and ipsilateral neck treatment. Methods The clinical data of patients with head?and?neck cancer of unknown primary who were admitted from January 2007 to December 2013 were retrospectively collected. Thirty?one patients received elective pharyngeal mucosal irradiation and 61 patients only received ipsilateral neck treatment. The SPSS 19. 0 software was used for comparison of the survival and local control between the two groups. Results In the 92 patients, the median age was 57 years;79. 3% had metastasis to level Ⅱ lymph nodes;the median follow?up time was 36. 5 months;the 3?year overall survival, mucosal control, and neck control rates were 89. 0%, 86. 6%, and 82. 4%, respectively. Primary sites were found in 15 patients, containing nasopharynx in 4 patients, oropharynx in 3 patients, oral cavity in 3 patients, throat and hypopharyngeal part in 3 patients, maxillary sinus in 1 patient, and esophagus in 1 patient. The patients undergoing elective pharyngeal mucosal irradiation had significantly higher 3?year mucosal control and neck control rates than those undergoing ipsilateral neck treatment ( 100% vs. 74. 9%, P= 0. 040;87. 5% vs. 62. 2%, P= 0. 037 ) . There was no difference in the 3?year overall survival rate between the two groups ( 83. 5% vs. 88. 7%, P= 0. 910 ) . Conclusions For patients with head?and?neck cancer of unknown primary, elective pharyngeal mucosal irradiation can reduce the incidence of primary site and increase the neck control rate. A new standard for target volume delineation should be established as soon as possible for elective prophylactic pharyngeal mucosal irradiation.

Objective To investigate the relationship between nutritional status and quality of life ( QOL) in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma undergoing concurrent chemoradiotherapy, and to identify the optimal indices of body composition for evaluation of malnutrition. Methods Based on the European Society Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition ( ESPEN) consensus on the diagnosis of malnutrition and patient?generated subjective global assessment (PG?SGA), a prospective study was performed in 48 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma who received concurrent chemoradiotherapy in our hospital from 2014 to 2015. Changes in body composition and nutritional status were evaluated in those patients. The relationship between nutritional status and QOL was studied. The predictive factors for nutritional status in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma were explored. The correlation between datasets was evaluated by the Pearson correlation coefficient. The influencing factors for nutritional status were analyzed by Logistic regression. Results During concurrent chemoradiotherapy, some indices of body composition, including weight, body mass index ( BMI) , fat mass index ( FMI) , fat?free mass index ( FFMI) , body cell mass ( BCM) , skeletal muscle mass ( SM) , and phase angle ( PA) had different degrees of reduction ( P=0?00) , while the PG?SGA score gradually increased. The incidence of malnutrition in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma during radiotherapy was 2?1%?39?6% based on 2015 ESPEN consensus on the diagnosis of malnutrition and 12?5%?41?7% based on PG?SGA. These two methods showed good agreement at the fourth and sixth weeks of radiotherapy ( Kappa=0?911;Kappa=0?957) . The changes in QOL score were correlated with changes in FFMI and weight during radiotherapy ( r= 0?805, P= 0?00;r= 0?777, P= 0?00 ) . Logistic regression indicated that age, FMI, and FFMI were influencing factors for nutritional status ( P= 0?035, 0?013, 0?043) . Conclusions Patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma have substantial nutritional deterioration during chemoradiotherapy. The nutritional status is closely associated with QOL. A prediction model of nutritional status can provide a comprehensive and accurate judgment of nutritional status in patients.

Objective To retrospectively analyze the efficacy and toxicity of intensity?modulated radiotherapy ( IMRT) alone and IMRT with concurrent chemotherapy ( CRT) in the treatment of early?stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma ( NPC) using pairwise group comparison. Methods A total of 98 patients with stage T1?2N1M0 NPC were treated with IMRT alone or CRT from 2009 to 2010, and 39 pairs out of them were selected for comparison of efficacy and toxicity. The survival rates were calculated using the Kaplan?Meier method and analyzed using the log?rank test. Results The 3?year follow?up rate was 95%. There were no significant differences in the 3?year overall survival ( OS ) , progression?free survival ( PFS ) , local recurrence?free survival ( LRFS ) , and distant metastasis?free survival ( DMFS ) rates between the IMRT alone group and the CRT group ( 97% vs. 95%, P=0?411;97% vs. 92%, P=0?301;97% vs. 97%, P=0?606;100% vs. 92%, P=0?082) . The incidence rates of leucopenia, anemia, and thrombocytopenia were significantly higher in the CRT group than in the IMRT alone group ( P=0?000;P=0?000;P=0?000 ) . There were no significant differences in the incidence rates of grade 3 oral mucositis and hearing loss between the IMRT alone group and the CRT group ( 26% vs. 23%, P= 0?093;41% vs. 62%, P= 0?100 ) . Conclusions CRT fails to increase the OS, PFS, and LRFS rates and reduce the DMFS rate in patients with stage T1?2 N1 NPC. Moreover, CRT results in higher incidence rates of hematotoxicity, grade 3 mucositis, and hearing loss than IMRT alone.