Tobacco smoking and increased risk of death and progression for patients with p16-positive and p16-negative oropharyngeal cancer.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Tobacco smoking is associated with oropharynx cancer survival, but to what extent cancer progression or death increases with increasing tobacco exposure is unknown.

Patients and methods

Patients with oropharynx cancer enrolled onto a phase III trial of radiotherapy from 1991 to 1997 (Radiation Therapy Oncology Group [RTOG] 9003) or of chemoradiotherapy from 2002 to 2005 (RTOG 0129) were evaluated for tumor human papillomavirus status by a surrogate, p16 immunohistochemistry, and for tobacco exposure by a standardized questionnaire. Associations between tobacco exposure and overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were estimated by Cox proportional hazards models.

Results

Prevalence of p16-positive cancer was 39.5% among patients in RTOG 9003 a

SUBMITTER: Gillison ML 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3397696 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature