Purpose: To assess the current status of the treatment for oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) in Japan to assist the planning of clinical trials in the future.
Patients: The data for 523 patients with previously untreated OPC were obtained from 12 institutions from April 2005 to March 2007. Of the 523 patients, 471 patients with squamous cell carcinoma and with curative intent were included in an analysis of the treatment and its results.
Results: Of the 471 patients with OPC treated with curative intent, 186 patients (39.5%) were treated with surgery, 118 (25.1%) with RT alone and 167 (355%) with CRT. Surgery was indicated for 60.4% of the patients with stage I, 47.8% in stage II, 29.4% in stage III, and 36.44% in stage VI. CRT was indicated for 8.3% in stage II, but the percentage increased with higher stage. The percentage of RT was around 30% among stage I-III, but in stage VI, 21.3% of the patients were indicated for RT. The median follow-up period was 4 years and 5 months. The 2-year and 5-year overall survival rates for the 471 patients were 85% and 69.9%, respectively. The 5-year overall survival rates for patients treated initially with surgery, RT and CRT were 73%, 69.1% and 65.6%, respectively. The 5-year overall survival rates for patients with stage I, II, III, VIA, and VIB were 78.9%, 87.3%, 69.7%, 66.6%, and 47.7%, respectively. Conclusions: Although this study was retrospective, we could understand the tendency of treatment choice according to various factors and treatment results. The information will be useful for planning clinical trials in the future.