(0712) Prognostic Indicators of Patients With Recurrent Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Undergoing Reirradiation

Introduction: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the 6th most common cancer worldwide, accounting for 650,000 new cases and 350,000 deaths annually. Recurrent disease is common and oncologic outcomes in those cases are unfavorable. Treatment options for recurrence typically include a combination of salvage surgery, reirradiation, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. This study aims to review patients who underwent reirradiation for HNSCC recurrence and identify potential prognostic indicators.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed, including all patients with HNSCC who underwent reirradiation following HNSCC recurrence at a tertiary academic center from January 2017 – November 2023. Demographic, clinical, and treatment variables were collected. Statistical analysis was performed to identify variables associated with improved survival.

Results: In total, 67 patients (46 male, 21 female) were included in the final analysis, with a mean age of 64.6. Median length of follow-up for the cohort was 2.92 years and OS rate was 35.8%. Age under 65 (p = 0.025) and the presence of distant metastases (p = 0.023) were associated with worse overall survival. P16 overexpression, having undergone salvage surgery, and decreased time to recurrence trended toward improved survival but were not statistically significant.

Conclusions: In this 5-year retrospective study of patients with recurrent HNSCC undergoing reirradiation, younger age ( < 65) and the presence of distant metastases were found to be associated with a lower 5-year OS. Salvage surgery and decreased time to recurrence trended toward better outcomes but more research is needed to further elucidate this relationship.