Objectives
To evaluate functional swallowing outcomes in patients undergoing transoral robotic surgery vs primary chemoradiotherapy for the management of advanced-stage oropharynx and supraglottis cancers.
Design
Prospective nonrandomized clinical trial.
Setting
Academic research.
Patients
We studied 40 patients with stage III or stage IVA oropharynx and supraglottis squamous cell carcinoma. Group 1 comprised 20 patients who received transoral robotic surgery with adjuvant therapy, while group 2 comprised 20 patients whose disease was managed by primary chemoradiotherapy.
Main Outcome Measures
Patients completed the M. D. Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI) before treatment and then at follow-up visits at 3, 6, and 12 months. The MDADI scores were analyzed and compared.
Results
The median follow-up period for both groups was 14 months (range, 12-16 months). When comparing the median MDADI scores between group 1 and group 2, we found no statistically significant differences before treatment or at the 3-month follow-up visit. However, this difference was significant at the posttreatment visits at 6 months (P = .004) and 12 months (P = .006), where group 1 had better swallowing MDADI scores. We also found significant differences in swallowing MDADI scores between the groups at the 6-month posttreatment visit for patients with T1, T2, and T3 disease and at the 12-month follow-up visit for patients with T2 and T3 disease, where group 1 had significantly better MDADI scores. Comparing tumor subsites, group 1 fared significantly better at the follow-up visits at 6 months (P = .02) and 12 months (P = .04) for patients with primary tumor at the tonsil. Compared with group 2, group 1 patients having base of tongue cancers exhibited significantly better swallowing MDADI scores at the 6-month follow-up visit (P = .02), and group 1 patients having lateral oropharynx disease had significantly better swallowing MDADI scores at the 12-month follow-up visit (P = .04).
Conclusion
Advanced-stage oropharynx and supraglottis cancers managed by transoral robotic surgery with adjuvant therapy resulted in significantly better swallowing MDADI outcomes at the follow-up visits at 6 and 12 months compared with tumors treated by primary chemoradiotherapy.