The Potential Impact and Usability of the Eighth Edition TNM Staging Classification in Oral Cavity Cancer.

Abstract Aims In the current eighth edition head and neck TNM staging, extranodal extension (ENE) is an adverse feature in oral cavity squamous cell cancer (OSCC). The previous seventh edition N1 with ENE is now staged as N2a. Seventh edition N2+ with ENE is staged as N3b in the eighth edition. We evaluated its potential impact on patients treated with surgery and postoperative intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Materials and methods OSCC patients treated with primary surgery and adjuvant (chemo)radiotherapy between January 2005 and December 2014 were reviewed. Cohorts with pathological node-negative (pN–), pathological node-positive without ENE (pN+_pENE–) and pathological node-positive with ENE (pN+_pENE+) diseases were compared for local control, regional control, distant control and overall survival. The pN+ cohorts were further stratified into seventh edition N-staging subgroups for outcomes comparison. Results In total, 478 patients were evaluated: 173 pN–; 159 pN+_pENE–; 146 pN+_pENE+. Outcomes at 5 years were: local control was identical (78%) in all cohorts (P = 0.892), whereas regional control was 91%, 80% and 68%, respectively (P Conclusions When eighth edition staging was applied, stage migration across the N2–3 categories resulted in expected larger separations of overall survival by stage. Patients treated with primary radiation without surgical staging should have outcomes carefully monitored. Strategies to predict ENE preoperatively and trials to improve the outcomes of pENE+ patients should be explored.