<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<sec id="j_raon-2018-0020_s_006">
<h3>Background</h3>
<p>Results from publications evaluating discrepancies between clinical staging data in relation to pathological findings demonstrate that a significant number of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients are not correctly staged. The aim of this retrospective study was to analyze potential discrepancies of radiological assessment versus pathological data of regional lymph node involvement and to compare the results with data published in the literature.</p>
</sec>
<sec id="j_raon-2018-0020_s_007">
<h3>Patients and methods</h3>
<p>In a retrospective analysis we focused on patients with HNSCC routinely treated by surgery plus postoperative radiotherapy between 2002 and 2012. For inclusion, complete pre-operative clinical staging information with lymph node status and patho-histological information on involved lymph node regions as well as survival outcome data were mandatory. We included 87 patients (UICC stage III-IV 90.8%) for which the aforementioned data obtained by CT or MRI were available. Overall survival rates were estimated by the Kaplan–Meier method. The Pearson correlation coefficient and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (non-linear relationship) was calculated.</p>
</sec> 
<sec id="j_raon-2018-0020_s_008">
<h3>Results</h3>
<p>Discrepancies at the level of overall tumour stage assessment were noticed in 27.5% of all cases. Thereof, 5.7% were assigned to patho-histological up-staging or down-staging of the primary tumour. At the lymph node level, 11.5% of the patients were downstaged, and 10.3% were upstaged.</p>
</sec>
<sec id="j_raon-2018-0020_s_009">
<h3>Conclusions</h3>
<p>The study showed that in approximately one-fifth (21.8%) of the patients, lymph node assessment by CT or MRI differs from the pathologic staging, an outcome that corresponds well with those published by several other groups in this field.</p>
</sec>
</abstract>

Background
Results from publications evaluating discrepancies between clinical staging data in relation to pathological findings demonstrate that a significant number of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients are not correctly staged. The aim of this retrospective study was to analyze potential discrepancies of radiological assessment versus pathological data of regional lymph node involvement and to compare the results with data published in the literature.


Patients and methods
In a retrospective analysis we focused on patients with HNSCC routinely treated by surgery plus postoperative radiotherapy between 2002 and 2012. For inclusion, complete pre-operative clinical staging information with lymph node status and patho-histological information on involved lymph node regions as well as survival outcome data were mandatory. We included 87 patients (UICC stage III-IV 90.8%) for which the aforementioned data obtained by CT or MRI were available. Overall survival rates were estimated by the Kaplan–Meier method. The Pearson correlation coefficient and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (non-linear relationship) was calculated.
 

Results
Discrepancies at the level of overall tumour stage assessment were noticed in 27.5% of all cases. Thereof, 5.7% were assigned to patho-histological up-staging or down-staging of the primary tumour. At the lymph node level, 11.5% of the patients were downstaged, and 10.3% were upstaged.


Conclusions
The study showed that in approximately one-fifth (21.8%) of the patients, lymph node assessment by CT or MRI differs from the pathologic staging, an outcome that corresponds well with those published by several other groups in this field.

Comparative analysis of clinical and pathological lymph node staging data in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients treated at the General Hospital Vienna

Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Phoniatry

Hospital St. John of God and Vienna Sigmund Freud University (Medical Faculty)

Radiology and Oncology

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Background
Results from publications evaluating discrepancies between clinical staging data in relation to pathological findings demonstrate that a significant...

Comparative analysis of clinical and pathological lymph node staging data in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients treated at the General Hospital Vienna

Article Category: Research Article

Published Online: May 11, 2018

Page range: 173 - 180

Received: Jan 29, 2018

Accepted: Apr 04, 2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/raon-2018-0020

© 2018 Christina Eder-Czembirek, Birgit Erlacher, Dietmar Thurnher, Boban M. Erovic, Edgar Selzer, Michael Formanek, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.