Quality of life after radiation and transoral robotic surgery in advanced oropharyngeal cancer

OBJECTIVES: Oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) treatment results in impaired swallowing and quality of life (QOL). We analyzed a cross‐section of advanced stage OPSCC patients treated with multimodal therapies at our Survivorship Clinic to investigate treatment factors associated with QOL. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of patient‐reported outcomes (PROMs) after primary OPSCC treatment using AJCC seventh edition staging. RESULTS: A total of 73 patients were included (90.1% human papillomavirus positive [HPV+]). There were no QOL differences between robotic surgery with radiation ± chemotherapy patients (n = 29) and those treated by radiation ± chemotherapy (n = 44). Radiation field analysis demonstrated significant correlations between increasing doses to larynx and contralateral parotid and submandibular gland and worse swallowing as measured by the Eating Assessment Tool‐10 (P = .02; P = .01; P = .01). CONCLUSIONS: In advanced, mostly HPV+, OPSCC, we did not find clinically significant differences between QOL PROMs between surgical and radiation ± chemotherapy treatment groups. This highlights the need for continued therapy de‐escalation along with improved interventions for treatment related toxicities. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4.