Predictors of survival after head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in South America: the InterCHANGE study

New research coordinated by scientists from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) estimated 3-year survival rates among patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (including the larynx, hypopharynx, oral cavity, and oropharynx) in South America. The researchers found that almost 75% of patients were diagnosed with advanced-stage disease, and that advanced stage at diagnosis was the strongest predictor of worse survival for all sites. The article was published in the journal JCO Global Oncology on 26 March 2020.

The researchers estimated survival rates for patients at eight institutions in four South American countries: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Uruguay. They also investigated the influence of multiple variables on survival: sociodemographic factors (age at diagnosis, sex, and education level), lifestyle factors (comprehensive histories of tobacco use and alcohol consumption), and clinical factors (stage at diagnosis, and human papillomavirus (HPV) status among patients with oropharyngeal cancer).

This research is part of the InterCHANGE study, a multicentre collaborative prospective study coordinated by IARC aimed at better understanding the roles of genetics, HPV, tobacco use, and alcohol consumption in the etiology and outcomes of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck in South American countries.

Abrahão R, Perdomo S, Pinto LFR, Nascimento de Carvalho F, Dias FL, de Podesta JRV, et al.
Predictors of survival after head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in South America: the InterCHANGE study
JCO Glob Oncol, Published online 26 March 2020;
https://doi.org/10.1200/GO.20.00014

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