Timing of Postoperative Radiotherapy and Outcomes in Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Authors

Ismail M Khaderi, David Strum, Nazineen Kandahari, Ahmad J Odeh, Annie X Wang, Abdullah W Saleh, Trevor G Hackman

Published in

Head & neck. Jun 21, 2026. Epub Jun 21, 2026.

Abstract

Timely postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) is recommended for head and neck cancer, but adherence and its impact in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) remain unclear.
A retrospective cohort study of 3723 adults with OPSCC undergoing surgery (2015-2025) in the TriNetX US Collaborative Network was performed. Patients receiving PORT were compared by timing (< 6 weeks vs. 6-12 weeks) using propensity score matching. A 5-year mortality and salvage surgery were assessed from a 6-week landmark.
In total, 69.3% initiated PORT within 6 weeks, with increasing compliance over time. After matching (n = 1108 per group), delayed PORT was associated with higher mortality (RR = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.06-1.54) and salvage surgery (RR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.10-1.94). The greatest risk was observed with delays of 10-12 weeks.
Delayed PORT is associated with worse OPSCC outcomes, supporting efforts to minimize treatment delays. Although guideline adherence has improved, the optimal compliance threshold remains uncertain.

PMID:
42324840
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 22 Jun 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.