Importance: The achievement of complete tumor resection with tumor-free margins is one of the main principles of oncologic surgery for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The negative prognostic influence of a positive margin (PM) across all head and neck subsites has been well established. National guidelines recommend the use of adjuvant chemoradiation therapy (CRT) in the setting of PM.
Objective: To determine the incidence of PM in HNSCC across multiple subsites, as well as the factors associated with its occurrence.
Design, setting, and participants: This retrospective cohort study used the National Cancer Database to identify patients diagnosed with HNSCC between 2010 and 2014 and who underwent surgical resection (n = 28 840).
Main outcomes and measures: Predictors of PM rate and likelihood to receive adjuvant CRT.
Results: Among the 28 840 patients included in this study, 19 727 (68.4 %) were men, and the average age was 62.4 years (range, 40 to ≥90 years). In univariable analysis, a lower PM rate was associated with higher facility volume (26.3% for the lowest volume quartile, 16.5% for the middle 2 quartiles, and 10.8% for the highest volume quartile) and treatment at academic vs nonacademic facilities (14.0% vs 22.7%). In multivariate analysis, those treated at higher-volume facilities remained significantly less likely to have PM (adjusted odds ratio, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.83-0.88). The trend of decreasing PM rate with increasing facility volume was observed in both academic (aOR, 0.88 per 10-case volume increase [95% CI, 0.85-0.91]) and nonacademic (aOR, 0.73 per 10-case volume increase [95% CI, 0.68-0.80]) facilities. There was no association between facility volume and patient likelihood of receiving adjuvant CRT in the setting of PM (compared with CCPs: aOR, 0.98 per 10-case volume increase [95% CI, 0.84-1.14] for CCCPs; and aOR, 1.24 [95% CI, 0.99-1.55] for INCPs).
Conclusions and relevance: These findings suggest that high-volume facilities are associated with lower rates of PM in the surgical treatment of HNSCC in both academic and nonacademic settings. Facility volume for head and neck oncologic surgeries may be considered a benchmark for quality of care.