Other Than Complete Response in Oropharyngeal Carcinoma: Patient and Tumor‐Related Factors

Objective Oropharyngeal carcinoma represents a tumor with an increased concern in human health and treatment strategy. This study aims to identify any tumor or patient‐related characteristics capable of predicting response to non‐surgical curative treatment in a cohort of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma and define oncological outcomes of overall survival and progression‐free survival. Methods A monocentric retrospective cohort study was performed, including 223 patients with non‐metastatic oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma treated with curative intent with a non‐surgical strategy. Patients were treated at the University Hospital of Modena (Italy) after a multidisciplinary evaluation between January 2010 and December 2021. The treatment response was assessed by using the RECIST 1.1 Criteria on imaging performed 3 months after treatment. Results Tonsil subsite and stage I were independently associated with a complete treatment response (OR = 0.53, p = 0.05, and OR = 0.32, p = 0.01, respectively). The association between smoking and p16− status resulted in a higher probability of a not‐complete response (OR = 1.72, p = 0.05). Similar results were found for soft palate subsite, cT4, N2 in the p16+ group, and stage IVb in the p16− group. Conversely, cT1 was associated with a higher probability of complete response. Age and the extension to nearby structures did not influence the response. Conclusions This retrospective study shows a possible stratification of patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma based on factors that influence treatment response rate. The identification of a phenotype of a non‐responding tumor could better define therapeutic and follow‐up programs. Level of Evidence 4.