TY - JOUR
T1 - Exploring tonsillar cancer associations in patients with base of tongue cancer
T2 - insights from a single-center study
AU - Udholm, Sebastian
AU - Sannino-Greve, Nina B.
AU - Klug, Tejs Ehlers
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.
PY - 2024/11
Y1 - 2024/11
N2 - Purpose: To explore the prevalence of synchronous and metachronous tonsillar cancer in patients with base of tongue cancer, as well as identifying potential risk factors linked to these secondary malignancies. We aim to answer the following question: Should bilateral tonsillectomy be recommended to patients diagnosed with base of tongue cancer? Methods: A case-series study was conducted at Aarhus University Hospital, including all patients with histologically confirmed base of tongue squamous cell carcinoma treated between January 2012 and December 2021. Data from electronic patient records, including diagnosis of prior, synchronous or metachronous tonsillar cancer, demographics, and clinical features were analysed. Fisher’s exact test was performed to assess factors associated with synchronous and metachronous tonsillar cancer. Results: Among 198 patients with base of tongue cancer, 5.6% had a history of tonsillar cancer, either prior to (4.5%), synchronous (0.5%), or metachronous (0.5%) to the base of tongue diagnosis. The prevalence of synchronous or metachronous tonsillar cancer among patients without previous bilateral tonsillectomy was 1.2%. Patients with tonsillar cancer were older, had heavier smoking histories, and exhibited less frequent P16-overexpression. Conclusion: Our findings deepen understanding of tonsillar cancer in patients with base of tongue cancer. The prevalence of synchronous or metachronous tonsillar cancer was found to be relatively low, suggesting that routine tonsillectomy for all base of tongue cancer patients is not warranted.
AB - Purpose: To explore the prevalence of synchronous and metachronous tonsillar cancer in patients with base of tongue cancer, as well as identifying potential risk factors linked to these secondary malignancies. We aim to answer the following question: Should bilateral tonsillectomy be recommended to patients diagnosed with base of tongue cancer? Methods: A case-series study was conducted at Aarhus University Hospital, including all patients with histologically confirmed base of tongue squamous cell carcinoma treated between January 2012 and December 2021. Data from electronic patient records, including diagnosis of prior, synchronous or metachronous tonsillar cancer, demographics, and clinical features were analysed. Fisher’s exact test was performed to assess factors associated with synchronous and metachronous tonsillar cancer. Results: Among 198 patients with base of tongue cancer, 5.6% had a history of tonsillar cancer, either prior to (4.5%), synchronous (0.5%), or metachronous (0.5%) to the base of tongue diagnosis. The prevalence of synchronous or metachronous tonsillar cancer among patients without previous bilateral tonsillectomy was 1.2%. Patients with tonsillar cancer were older, had heavier smoking histories, and exhibited less frequent P16-overexpression. Conclusion: Our findings deepen understanding of tonsillar cancer in patients with base of tongue cancer. The prevalence of synchronous or metachronous tonsillar cancer was found to be relatively low, suggesting that routine tonsillectomy for all base of tongue cancer patients is not warranted.
KW - Base of tongue
KW - Cancer
KW - Carcinoma
KW - Head and neck cancer
KW - Malignancy
KW - Secondary cancer
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85199296444&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00405-024-08830-7
DO - 10.1007/s00405-024-08830-7
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 39042171
AN - SCOPUS:85199296444
SN - 0937-4477
VL - 281
SP - 5955
EP - 5959
JO - European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology
JF - European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology
IS - 11
ER -