Backgrounds: Pathologic features of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) treated with trans-oral robotic surgery predict prognosis and adjuvant therapy. We hypothesized that pathologic muscle invasion (pMI) is associated with poor pathological markers.
Methods: Retrospective review of surgically treated OPSCC to identify pMI and its association with poor pathologic markers.
Results: pMI was present in 12/37 patients, and compared to non-pMI, was associated with higher rates of lymphovascular invasion (75% vs. 36%, p = 0.03), perineural invasion (16.7% vs. 0%, p = 0.04), extranodal extension (66.7% vs. 20%, p < 0.01), and tumor stage (8.3% vs. 48% pT1, 75% vs. 52% pT2 and 16.7% vs. 0% pT3). pMI was associated with having a positive margin on main specimen (41.7% vs. 12%, p = 0.04) but not after considering additional margins.
Conclusions: Muscle invasion was associated with higher pathologic tumor staging, poor pathologic factors, and higher rates of positive margin on main specimen.
Keywords: human papilloma virus; muscle invasion; oropharyngeal cancer; transoral robotic surgery.
© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.