Prognostic Significance of Tumor Hypoxia Inducible Factor–1α Expression for Outcome After Radiotherapy in Oropharyngeal Cancer

Purpose Head-and-neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) represents a heterogeneous group of patients in terms of subsite, treatment, and biology. Currently most management decisions are based on clinical parameters with little appreciation of patient differences in underlying tumor biology. We investigated the prognostic significance of clinicopathologic features and tumor hypoxia-inducible factor–1α (HIF-1α) expression in a homogeneous series of patients who underwent radiotherapy. Methods and Materials An audit identified 133 consecutive patients with histologically proven squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsil or tongue base. All patients received primary radiotherapy between 1996 and 2001. Tumor HIF-1α expression was examined in 79 patients. Results Features associated with poor locoregional control were low Hb level ( p = 0.05) and advancing T ( p = 0.008), N ( p = 0.03), and disease ( p = 0.008) stage. HIF-1α expression was a more significant adverse prognostic factor in the tonsil (hazard ratio [HR], 23.1; 95% confidence interval [CI]. 3.04–176.7) than the tongue-base tumor (HR, 2.86; 95% CI, 1.14–7.19) group ( p = 0.03, test for interaction). High tumor HIF-1α expression was associated with low blood Hb levels ( p = 0.03). In a multivariate analysis HIF-1α expression retained prognostic significance for locoregional control (HR, 7.10; 95% CI, 3.07−16.43) and cancer-specific survival (HR, 9.19; 95% CI, 3.90−21.6). Conclusions There are significant differences in radiation therapy outcome within a homogeneous subsite of the oropharynx related to molecular marker expression. The work highlights the importance of studying homogeneous groups of patients in HNSCC, and the complex interrelationships between tumor biology and clinicopathologic factors. The establishment of tumor-type specific markers would represent a major advance in this area.