Post Notification Withdrawal Clinical Oncology Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting 2020

Can the H-index score predict treatment failure for Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (#218)

Sanith Cheriyan 1 , Harrison Bolt 1 , Charmaine Wood 1 , Nuwan Dharmawardana 1 , Eng Ooi 1
  1. Flinders Medical Centre, Bedford Park, SA, Australia

Background:
The H-index was recently developed and quantified the prognostic capacity of host characteristics associated with oral squamous cell carcinomas. The H-index included pre-treatment levels of neutrophils, lymphocytes, albumin, haemoglobin and monocytes. However, the applicability of the H-index to other head and neck subsites is yet to be determined. Therefore, we aimed to study the association between the host-index score and Oropharyngeal cancer.

Objective
To assess the applicability and the prognostic role of the H-index in patients with Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas

Design and Method:
Retrospective institutional database analysis in a South Australian tertiary centre

Data was collected retrospectively from departmental databases and medical records. Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas cases treated with curative intent (January 2012 to December 2018), with a median follow up time of 37 months were analysed. Serum tests conducted within 4 weeks of commencing treatment were collated and H-index score calculated as described by Valero et al [1]. A stepwise binomial logistic regression model was generated to assess the H-index score and treatment failure. Classification tables were used to calculate sensitivity, specificity, positiveĀ and negative predictive values.

Results
104 patients (91 males [87.5%], mean age 58 [SD 0.1]) were analysed. The tonsil was the most common subsite (59%) and 80.6% of cases were p16 positive. Chemoradiotherapy was the most common treatment (61%) modality. Treatment failure occurred for 28 patients (27%) (progression of disease during treatment, residual disease at 3 months or post-treatment recurrence). Through logistic regression, the H-index score was predictive of treatment failure (p=0.041), with a positive predictive value of 83%.

Summary and conclusion
These findings demonstrate the potential prognostic role of the H-index score to predict treatment failure in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. However, further research with an increased sample size consisting of a larger group of cases that failed treatment is required to appropriately validate this test.

  1. Valero, C., et al., Host Factors Independently Associated With Prognosis in Patients With Oral Cavity Cancer. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, 2020.