Platinum-based adjuvant chemoradiotherapy versus adjuvant radiotherapy in patients with head and neck adenoid cystic carcinoma

The objective of the study was to assess the effectiveness and toxicity of platinum-based adjuvant chemoradiotherapy (POCRT) in comparison to postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) in patients with head and neck adenoid cystic carcinoma (HNACC).

This retrospective study analyzed patients diagnosed with HNACC at our center between January 2010 and April 2020. A 1:1 propensity score matching method was used to create a matched cohort.

In this study, 206 patients were analyzed, with 147 patients (71.4%) receiving postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) and 59 patients (28.6%) receiving POCRT. Twenty-one patients experienced local–regional failure. The 3-, 5-, and 10-yr local–regional control (LRC) rate for the cohort were 92.0%, 90.6%, and 86.9%, respectively. In both the entire cohort and the matched cohort, the POCRT group exhibited superior LRC compared to the PORT group (Gray's test, all P < 0.05*). Multivariate analysis identified adjuvant concurrent chemotherapy as an independent prognostic factor for LRC (Competing risks regression, HR = 0.144, 95% CI 0.026–0.802, P = 0.027*). In addition, the POCRT group had higher incidences of upper gastrointestinal toxicity and hematologic toxicities, including leukopenia, neutropenia, and anemia (all P < 0.05*).

In terms of reducing locoregional failures in HNACC patients, POCRT may potentially offer a more effective therapeutic approach than using PORT alone, although it also entails an augmented burden of treatment-related toxicity.