Transoral robotic surgery with neck dissection versus nonsurgical treatment in stage I and II human papillomavirus-negative oropharyngeal cancer

Background Surgery + adjuvant therapy was shown to have improved overall survival (OS) versus nonsurgical treatment in T1-T2N1-N2b human papillomavirus (HPV)-negative oropharyngeal cancer (OPC). Our objective was to compare OS in transoral robotic surgery (TORS) with neck dissection versus nonsurgical treatment for T1-T2N0 HPV-negative OPC. Methods Patients with T1-T2N0 HPV-negative OPC were identified in the National Cancer Database. OS was compared between groups: (1) TORS with neck dissection +/- adjuvant therapy, (2) primary radiotherapy (>60 Gy) +/- chemotherapy using Kaplan-Meier and multivariable Cox proportional hazards models. Results There were 665 (78.4%) patients treated nonsurgically and 183 (21.6%) patients in the TORS group. Adjusting for age, comorbidity score, facility type, tumor subsite, and tumor stage, primary nonsurgical treatment was associated with worse OS (hazard ratio: 1.90, 95% CI: 1.34-2.69). Conclusion For T1-T2N0 HPV-negative OPC, TORS with neck dissection may be associated with a survival benefit over nonsurgical treatment.