Researchers from Harvard Medical School, and
Cleveland Clinic studied the impact of active smoking on survival in human
papillomavirus - positive (HPV+) oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) patients
from 2001 to 2015.
Among the 484 evaluated patients, 94 (20%)
were active smokers, 226 (47%) were former smokers, and 164 (34%) never smoked.
Among active smokers, 82 patients (87%) had a ≥10 packs/year and 69 (73%) had a
≥20 pack/year smoking history. Active smoking was a significant predictor of
inferior survival and progression-free survival, and ≥20 pack/yeas predicted a
decreased effect-size for inferior survival and progression-free survival.
The investigators concluded that active
smoking at diagnosis is the most powerful predictor of survival and
progression-free survival in patients with HPV(+) OPSC .
