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Definition of locally recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: a systematic review and proposal for the Odense–Birmingham definition

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Abstract

Purpose

The objectives of this study were (1) to systematically review current definitions of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) recurrence and (2) to propose a definition of locally recurrent HNSCC.

Methods

A systematic literature review was performed according to the ‘Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses’ statement in Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases guided by the study question “What is the definition of local recurrence for patients with HN:SCC?”. All retrieved studies were reviewed and qualitatively analyzed.

Results

The systematic literature search resulted in 3467 publications after removal of duplicates. Forty studies were examined as full text, and a total of five were found suitable for inclusion. All five included studies dealt with definitions of second primary HNSCC and were based on the Warren and Gates Criteria; (1) each of the tumors are malignant, (2) each must be distinct, and (3) the probability of one being a metastasis of the other must be excluded. Each of the included studies added specific anatomical and/or temporal separation measures to the criteria of second primary HNSCC. We propose the definition of locally recurrent HNSCC to be: (1) Same anatomical subsite or adjacent subsite within 3 cm of the primary lesion, (2) time-interval no more than 3 years (from completed treatment of the primary lesion), and (3) same p16-status for oropharyngeal carcinomas.

Conclusions

No uniform definition of locally recurrent HNSCC currently exists. We propose the Odense–Birmingham definition based on the anatomical subsite combined with a specific measurable distance and a temporal separation of three years.

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Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Unit for Department of ORL-Head and Neck Surgery and Audiology, Odense University Hospital, J. B. Winsløws Vej 4, 5000, Odense C, Denmark

    Max Rohde, Tine Rosenberg & Christian Godballe

  2. University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark

    Max Rohde, Tine Rosenberg & Christian Godballe

  3. Department of Internal Medicine, Yale New Haven Hospital, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA

    Manan Pareek

  4. Institute for Head and Neck Studies and Education (InHANSE), University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK

    Paul Nankivell, Neil Sharma & Hisham Mehanna

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  1. Max Rohde
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Correspondence to Max Rohde.

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Dr. Pareek reports the following disclosures: Speaker’s Fee: AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim; Advisory Board: AstraZeneca.

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Rohde, M., Rosenberg, T., Pareek, M. et al. Definition of locally recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: a systematic review and proposal for the Odense–Birmingham definition. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 277, 1593–1599 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-020-05953-5

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