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Palliative concurrent chemoradiotherapy has not been well evaluated for patients who are not a candidate for definitive treatment. Even though stereotactic radiotherapy has established a role in the re‐irradiation of recurrent head and neck tumors, its role is not established as a possible primary treatment modality for patients who are not eligible for curative treatment. This article reviews the available literature on the role of chemoradiotherapy and stereotactic radiation for palliation of previously untreated head and neck cancers.

Introduction Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is an effective treatment for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who are either medically inoperable or who decline surgery. SBRT improves tumor control and overall survival (OS) in medically inoperable, early-stage, NSCLC patients. In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of two different SBRT doses commonly used and present our institutional experience. Purpose To determine the clinical outcomes between two treatment regiments (50 Gray [Gy] vs. 55 Gy in five fractions) among Stage I NSCLC patients treated with SBRT at a state academic medical center. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of 114 patients with Stage I (T1-2 N0 M0) NSCLC treated at a state academic medical center between October 2009 and April 2019. Survival analyses with treatment regimens of 50 Gy and 55 Gy in five fractions were conducted to detect any improvement in outcomes associated with the higher dose. The primary endpoints of this study included OS, local control (LC), and disease-free survival (DFS). Log-rank test and the Kaplan-Meier method were used to analyze the survival curves of the two treatment doses. The SPSS v.24.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) was used for statistical analyses. Results The 114 early-stage NSCLC patients (median age, 68 years; range 12 to 87 years) had a median follow-up of 25 months (range two to 86 months). The number of males (n = 72; 63.2 %) exceeded the number of females (n = 42; 36.8 %). The majority of patients in this study were Caucasians (n = 68; 59.6 %) and 46 patients were African Americans (40.4 %). Two-thirds of the patients (n = 76; 66.7 %) were treated with 50 Gy in five fractions, and 38 patients (33.3 %) with 55 Gy in five fractions. The one-, two-, and three-year OS and DFS rates were improved in the patients treated with 55 Gy [OS, 81.7 % vs. 72.8 %; 81.7 % vs. 58.9 %; 81.7 % vs. 46.7 % (p = 0.049)], [DFS, 69.7 % vs. 69.7 %; 61.9 % vs. 55.7 %; 61.9 % vs. 52.0 % (p = 0.842)], compared to those treated with 50 Gy. Adenocarcinoma was the most common histology in both groups (51.3 % and 68.4 %). Failure rates were elevated for the 50 Gy regimen [39 (34.2 %) vs. 12 (8.5 %)]. Three year control rates were (66.3 % vs. 96.6 %; p = 0.002) local control; (63.3 % vs. 94.4 %; p = 0.000) regional control; and (65.7 % vs. 97.1 %; p = 0.000) distant control, compared to those treated with 55 Gy. Conclusion Early-stage NSCLC patients treated with SBRT 55 Gy in five fractions did better in terms of local control, overall survival, and disease-free survival rates compared to the 50 Gy in five fractions group.

Introduction Extracapsular extension (ECE) in the lymph nodes for patients with head and neck cancer has been found to be a poor prognostic factor in multiple studies. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the predictive factors for ECE on computer tomography (CT) imaging for patients undergoing surgery and to analyze outcomes. Methods We conducted an Institutional Review Board-approved, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)-compliant retrospective review of 82 patients with biopsy-proven squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck who underwent definitive surgery without neoadjuvant chemotherapy or radiation therapy. CT scans were evaluated for the level of involvement, size, and presence or absence of central necrosis. Extracapsular extension in lymph nodes on the postoperative pathology was correlated with the central necrosis in the lymph nodes appreciated on the CT neck with contrast. Survival estimates were evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier test. Results ECE on postoperative pathology was seen in 74.07% of patients who had evidence of central necrosis in lymph nodes on preoperative CT neck compared to 46.43% without CT necrosis (p=0.013). The incidence of ECE is higher in poorly differentiated tumors and also nodal stages >N2c at presentation. Patents with ECE had inferior disease-free and overall survival (OS). Conclusions Our results reveal that patients with necrosis on CT and with moderately to poorly differentiated tumors have a high incidence of extracapsular extension. There was no difference in local control (LC) between the groups of patients, but the OS was inferior in patients with ECE. Predicting extracapsular extension upfront helps to formulate the appropriate treatment. We propose to study additional chemotherapy to improve outcomes in patients with positive extracapsular extension.

Background Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) (estrogen receptor (ER) – negative, progesterone receptor (PR) - negative, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) -negative) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer that is more common in younger women, carries a poorer prognosis and has a greater metastatic potential than receptor positive subtypes. Radiation therapy’s ability to improve outcomes, especially the overall survival is controversial, more so among African American patients. The objective of this study is to evaluate local control and survival rates of TNBC patients treated with radiotherapy (RT) in our institution with a sizeable cohort of African American women. Methods This is a retrospective analysis of 67 TNBCs (2007–2017) at an academic state institution who underwent a lumpectomy and /or mastectomy (surgery) followed by adjuvant irradiation to a median total dose of 50 Gy (range 40.5–50.40 Gy). Chemotherapy was administered in a neoadjuvant (32) or adjuvant setting (35). For all 67 TNBCs, local control (LC), overall survival (OS), and disease-free survival (DFS) were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. The significance of survival variables was analyzed using the Cox univariate and multivariate proportional hazards model. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The SPSS 24.0 software was used for data analysis. Results The baseline characteristics of all 67 TNBCs were measured with median follow up of 58 months (range 10–142 months). Patients were stratified into two groups (neoadjuvant chemotherapy-RT (32) vs. adjuvant chemotherapy-RT (35)). The five-year rates for LC, DFS and OS were 14.8 % vs. 47.9 % (p = 0.002), 24.2% vs. 53.1 % (p = 0.015), and 65.1% vs. 92.2% (0.002) respectively. On Cox multivariate analysis, patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy were associated with statistically improved significant LC (p = 0.002) and OS (p = 0.002). The variables included were: BMI (p = 0.050), distance travelled (p = 0.027), 8th AJCC TNM staging (p = 0.018) and tumor grade (p = 0.022). Conclusion In this hypothesis-generating report, among TNBC patients undergoing RT, adjuvant chemotherapy appears to be better than neoadjuvant chemotherapy in determining the clinical outcomes.

Introduction As traditional measures such as overall survival (OS) or disease-free survival (DFS) alone do not give a holistic view of the outcomes of a treatment paradigm, we determine to add the evidence of quality-adjusted life year (QALY) and disability-adjusted life year (DALY) to the outcomes of the nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients (NCP) treated with definitive chemoradiation therapy (chemoRT) with or without induction chemotherapy (induction chemo). Methods This is a retrospective analysis of 85 NCPs treated at an academic state institution. The OS estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method and the multivariate Cox regression model determined the co-variables associated with the OS. The relationship between QALYs gained and DALYs saved were calculated from age of the disease onset, duration of the disease, quality of life (QoL) and disability weights. Results Of the 85 eligible NCPs of this cohort, the disease frequency distribution per the World Health Organization (WHO) classification was 41.2% for Type-I, 42.4% for Type-II, and 16.5% for Type-III. The median follow-up (24 months). The five-year OS of patients treated with concurrent chemoRT vs. induction chemo followed by concurrent chemoRT was 54.7 vs. 14.8% for WHO Type I, 60.1 vs. 58.3% for WHO Type II, and 83.3 vs. 50.0% for WHO Type III (p=0.029). The average DALYs saved with concurrent chemoRT were 12.2 years vs. 5 years for induction chemo followed by concurrent chemoRT. The average QALYs gained with concurrent chemoRT were 6.9 years vs. 3.1 years for induction chemo followed by concurrent chemoRT. Conclusion Patients treated with concurrent chemoRT had an increased QoL when compared to induction chemo followed by concurrent chemoRT. The average DALYs saved were higher in the patients treated with concurrent chemoRT than treated with induction chemo followed by concurrent chemoRT.

Objective To identify racial disparities in survival outcomes among Stage III & IV patients with squamous cell carcinomas (SCCa) of the oropharynx treated with definitive radiation therapy (RT), with concurrent chemotherapy. Method This is a retrospective analysis of patients with stage III & IV SCCa of oropharynx treated with definitive RT at the State Academic Medical Center. All patients were treated to 70 Gy utilizing intensity-modulated radiation treatment (IMRT), and received concurrent chemotherapy with weekly cisplatin or cetuximab. Chi-square test was used to test the goodness of fit, overall survival (OS), and locoregional control (LRC) comparing races were generated by using Log-rank test & Kaplan-Meier method. The covariables associated with the OS and LRC were determined by the Cox regression model. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The SPSS 24.0 software (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) was used. Results In the total 73 eligible patients, 54.8% were black, and 45.2% white patients. Stage distribution (per American Joint Committee on Cancer-AJCC 8th Ed) between black patients vs. white patients, Stage III (45.5% vs. 54.5%) and for Stage IV (56.5% vs. 43.5%); p=0.499. Median follow-up for the entire group was 41 months (range: 4-144 months). In the univariate analysis, variables p16 status, body mass index (BMI), alcohol history and tumor subsite were found to be significant. In the multivariate analysis, only BMI has shown to be significant. Three-year LRC for black patients was 37.8% vs.66.8% in white patients (p=0.354) and three-year OS for black patients was 51.8% vs. 80.9% for white patients (p=0.063), respectively. Five-year OS for p16 positive patients was 69.7% vs. 43% for p16 negative patients (p=0.034). Five-year OS for Stage IV black patients was 34% vs. 69.5% for Stage IV white patients (p=0.014). Conclusion Among all the co-variables examined, only BMI has shown affecting the OS outcomes; gender and BMI shown to be affecting the LRC. Racial factor appears to be significant in Stage IV patients.

Introduction This study attempted to identify disparities in outcomes between African American (AA) and Caucasian American (CA) patients treated for hypopharyngeal carcinoma at a tertiary care institution over the past 25 years. Methods An institutional review board (IRB)-approved and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA)-compliant retrospective analysis was performed on patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the hypopharynx treated at our institution between January 1994 and December 2018. Data regarding demographics, stage, treatment, and follow-up were collected. Outcomes, including median survival and overall survival, were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. All analyses were performed using the Social Packages for the Social Sciences (SPSS) v. 24 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Results We identified 144 hypopharyngeal carcinoma patients who were treated during this period. Our patient cohort consisted of 61.8% AA and 35.4% CA (P=0.538). Overall, 96% of them presented at an advanced stage (Stages III & IV) of the disease, and only 4% presented in the early stages (Stages I & II). There was no significant difference between AA and CA patients who presented with advanced disease (96.6% vs. 94.1%). In our patient cohort, 15.3% of patients did not receive any therapy; however, 51.4%, 22.9%, and 10.4% of them underwent definitive chemoradiotherapy, definitive surgery, or palliative chemotherapy, respectively. There were no significant differences in patient racial proportions within each treatment group. The median follow-up of the entire cohort was 13 months. There was no significant difference between the median survival of AA and that of CA patients (16 months vs. 15 months; p=0.917). Moreover, there was no significant difference in the overall survival between AA and CA patients at three years (27.2% vs. 36.3%; p=0.917) and five years (20.4 % vs. 16.7 %; p=0.917). Conclusions A retrospective review of patients with hypopharyngeal cancer treated at our institution over the previous 25 years did not identify significant racial disparities regarding the stage at presentation or prognosis. This study suggests that when patients have equal access to care, they appear to have a similar prognosis despite racial differences. Further studies are needed to validate this hypothesis.

Background: As traditional measures such as overall survival (OS) or disease-free survival (DFS) alone does not give a holistic view of the outcomes of a treatment paradigm, we determine to add the evidence of quality-adjusted life year (QALY) and disability-adjusted life year (DALY) to the outcomes of the nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients (NCP) treated with definitive chemoradiation therapy (chemoRT) with or without induction chemotherapy.Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of 85 NCPs treated at an academic state institution. The OS estimated by Kaplan–Meier method and the multivariate Cox regression model determined the co-variables associated with the OS. The relationship between QALYs gained and DALYs saved were calculated from age of the disease onset, duration of the disease, quality of life (QoL) and disability weights.Results: Of the 85 eligible NCPs of this cohort, the disease frequency distribution per the World Health Organization (WHO) classification was 41.2% for Type-I, 42.4% for Type-II, and 16.5% for Type-III. The median follow-up (24 months). The 5-year OS of patients treated with concurrent chemoRT vs. induction chemo followed by concurrent chemoRT was 54.7 vs. 14.8% for WHO Type I, 60.1 vs. 58.3% for WHO Type II, and 83.3 vs. 50.0% for WHO Type III (p= 0.029). The average DALYs saved with concurrent chemoRT was 12.2 years vs. 5 years for induction chemo followed by concurrent chemoRT. The average QALYs gained with concurrent chemoRT was 6.9 years vs. 3.1 years for induction chemo followed by concurrent chemoRT.Conclusion: Patients treated with concurrent chemoRT had an increased QoL when compared to induction chemo followed by concurrent chemoRT. The average DALYs saved were higher in the patients treated with concurrent chemoRT than treated with induction chemo followed by concurrent chemoRT.

Background The Will Rogers phenomenon [WRP] describes an apparent improvement in outcome for patients’ group due to tumor grade reclassification. Staging of cancers is important to select appropriate treatment and to estimate prognosis. The WRP has been described as one of the most important biases limiting the use of historical cohorts when comparing survival or treatment. The main purpose of this study is to assess whether the WRP exists with the move from the AJCC 7th to AJCC 8th edition in breast cancer [BC] staging, and if racial differences are manifested in the expression of the WRP. Methods This is a retrospective analysis of 300 BC women (2007–2017) at an academic medical center. Overall survival [OS] and disease-free survival [DFS] was estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Bi and multi-variate Cox regression analyses was used to identify racial factors associated with outcomes. Results Our patient cohort included 30.3% Caucasians [Whites] and 69.7% African-Americans [Blacks]. Stages I, II, III, and IV were 46.2, 26.3, 23.1, and 4.4% of Whites; 28.7, 43.1, 24.4, and 3.8% of Blacks respectively, in anatomic staging (p = 0.043). In prognostic staging, 52.8, 18.7, 23, and 5.5% were Whites while 35, 17.2, 43.5, and 4.3% were Blacks, respectively (p = 0.011). A total of Whites (45.05% vs. 47.85%) Blacks, upstaged. Whites (16.49% vs. 14.35%) Blacks, downstaged. The remaining, 38.46 and 37.79% patients had their stages unchanged. With a median follow-up of 54 months, the Black patients showed better stage-by-stage 5-year OS rates using 8th edition compared to the 7th edition (p = 0.000). Among the Whites, those who were stage IIIA in the 7th but became stage IB in the 8th had a better prognosis than stages IIA and IIB in the 8th (p = 0.000). The 8th showed complex results (p = 0.176) compared to DFS estimated using the 7th edition (p = 0.004). Conclusion The WRP exists with significant variability in the move from the AJCC 7th to the 8th edition in BC staging (both White and Black patients). We suggest that caution needs to be exercised when results are compared across staging systems to account for the WRP in the interpretation of the data.

Purpose: To assess if the time interval between concurrent chemo radiotherapy [conc ChemoRT] followed by brachytherapy [B] determines the clinical outcomes in cervical cancer patients (FIGO stage IB2 – IVA) among a predominantly African- American population in a state university medical center. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 147 cervical cancer patients diagnosed with stage IB2- IVA treated with conc ChemoRT followed by B at various time intervals between 2005 and 2018 was performed. Survival analysis with several treatment [TX] duration interval parameters (pre 2010 and post 2010 to evaluate the significant organizational advancements); conc ChemoRT and B completed ≤ 60 days and > 60 days per American College of Surgeons cervical cancer surveillance measure; and TX intervals 6 to 10 weeks were evaluated. The overall survival [OS], local control [LC] and distant control [DC] were estimated by using Kaplan- Meier method. Uni, bi and multi- variable Cox hazard regression analyses were used to compare the risk of death among cervical cancer patients with different TX intervals. The SPSS v.24.0 was used for statistical analyses. Results: The 147 cervical cancer patients (median age, 55 y; range 28-83 y) had a median follow-up of 32 months (range 0 to 164 months). Our patient cohort included 34% patients treated pre 2010 and 66% post 2010; 42.2% ≤60 days and 57.8% > 60 days; 53.1% ≤ 6 to 8 weeks, 12.2% ≤ 8 to 10 weeks and 34.7% d>10 weeks. The patients diagnosed and treated post 2010 had better 5-year OS rates (65% vs. 32%) compared to pre 2010; p=0.000; patients treated ≤ 60 days had better 5-year OS rates (59.3% vs. 40.3%) to > 60 days; p=0.094; patients treated ≤ 6 to 8 weeks had better 5-year OS rates (56.1% vs. 53.1% and 34.3%) compared to ≤ 8 to 10 weeks and > 10 weeks; p=0.188 respectively. The 5-y OS rates for FIGO stages were IB2 (65.8%); IIA (62.5%); IIB (40.4%); IIIA (50%); IIIB (42.4%); and IVA (25.2%); p=0.508. There was no trend for improved LC (p=0.331; p=0.962; p=0.616) and DC (p= 0.284; p=0.596; p=0.606) observed among patients with different TX intervals. In the bi-variate analysis for TX year group, after adjusting for age, race, insurance, income level, distance travelled, tobacco exposure, alcohol history, and tumor stage, BMI-lower had twice the risk of death (hazard ratio [HR], 2.74; 95% CI, 1.34-5.59; p= 0.005). For patients treated ≤ 60 days, their insurance-private had a 63% reduction (HR, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.15-0.90; p=0.029), and for the weekly TX group by the multivariate analysis, insurance-private showed a 76% reduction in the risk of death (HR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.14-0.87; p=0.024). Conclusion: Our analysis suggests better OS among patients diagnosed and treated post 2010; ≤ 60 days duration; and ≤ 6 to 8 weeks with a shorter interval between conc ChemoRT and B to be superior to that of the patients undergoing longer TX’s. Citation Format: Mary R. Nittala, Satyaseelan Packianathan, Eswar K. Mundra, Maurice L. King, Shivanthidevi Gandhi, Robert M. Albright, Maria L. Smith, William C. Woods, Toms V. Thomas, Mildred Ridgway, Srinivasan Vijayakumar. Improved clinical outcomes with shorter intervals between concurrent chemoradiation and brachytherapy in FIGO IB2-IVA cervical cancer patients among a predominantly African-American population [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Conference: Thirteenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2020 Oct 2-4. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(12 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-230.

Purpose: To assess the prognostic significance of tumor HPV/p16 status among oropharyngeal squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC) patients. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 80 patients diagnosed with oropharyngeal SCC between 2008 and 2018 at an academic medical center with known HPV/p16 status was performed. Pearson’s Chi-squared test was used to compare the proportional differences between the known tumor HPV status among positive and negative p16 staining groups. Kaplan- Meier analysis was used to estimate overall survival [OS] and local control [LC] between the HPV groups stratified by risk and compared using the log-rank test. Uni and multi-variable Cox hazard regression analyses were used to compare the risk of death among patients with HPV- positive and HPV- negative cancer. The SPSS v.24.0 was used for all statistical analyses. Results: Our patient cohort included 37.5% HPV- positive and 62.5% HPV-negative (median age, 61 y; range 45-86 y) patients. Patient groups were classified on the basis of risk factors: HPV/p16 status, pack-years [py] of tobacco smoking, and tumor stage into low (p16+, ≤ 10 py), intermediate (p16+, > 10 py/p16-, < 10 py), and high risk (p16-, > 10 py/ any T4), accounting for 36.7%, 36.7% and 26.7% of HPV-positive and 0%, 20% and 40% of HPV-negative patients, respectively (p=0.000). The median follow-up duration for this cohort was 34 months (range 0 to 154 months). The low risk HPV-positive group had better 5-year OS rates (87.5%, vs. 59.5% and 27.2%) compared to intermediate and high risk groups (p=0.003 by the log-rank test). After adjustment for gender, age, race, income level, distance travelled, tobacco exposure, alcohol history, tumor stage, and treatment modality, this group had a 63% reduction in the risk of death (hazard ratio, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.18-0.77; p= 0.008). Insurance and BMI was associated with a 71% reduction (hazard ratio, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.97-0.89; p=0.032), and a 49% reduction in the risk of death (hazard ratio, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.37-0.71; p=0.000), respectively. In terms of LC, the low risk HPV-positive patients had better 3-year rates 70.1%, vs. 55.7% and 39.9% compared to the intermediate and, high risk groups (p=0.379). Conclusion: Tumor HPV/p16 status may be an independent prognostic factor along with insurance status and BMI for overall survival among oropharyngeal SCC patients. Citation Format: Mary R. Nittala, Eswar K. Mundra, Ashley Albert, William C. Woods, Maria L. Smith, Robert D. Hamilton, Lana Jackson, Gina Jefferson, Satyaseelan Packianathan, Eldrin Bhanat, Varsha Manucha, Srinivasan Vijayakumar. Univariate and multivariate prognostic factors for overall survival among oropharyngeal cancer patients with known HPV/p16 status [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Conference: Thirteenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2020 Oct 2-4. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(12 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-232.

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of race (African-American [AA] vs. Caucasians [C]) on the survival outcome in patients with oropharyngeal squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC) known HPV/p16 status. Methods: Between 2008 and 2018, eighty patients with known HPV/p16 status were diagnosed with oropharyngeal SCC in our academic state institution. Chi-square test, Kaplan-Meier method, and Cox regression models were used to assess for racial influence; p-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. The SPSS v.24.0 was used for all statistical analyses. Results: The median follow-up duration was 34 months (range 0 to 154 months). Our patient cohort included 48.8% AA and 51.2% C (median age, 61 y; range 45-86 y) patients. Patient risk groups were stratified based on HPV/p16 status, pack-years [py] of tobacco smoking, and tumor stage into low (p16+, ≤10 py), intermediate (p16+, >10 py/p16-, 10 py/ any T4), accounting for 2.6%, 25.6% and 71.8% of AA vs. 24.4%, 26.8% and 48.8% of C patients, respectively (p=0.013). The C patients had better 5-year overall survival [OS] rates (88.9%, 62.2% and 37.5% vs. na, 48.0% and 25.6% compared to AA patients stratified by risk (p=0.009). The OS of low risk AA patients was not assessable because of a low number (1) of patients in that group. In the bivariate Cox regression analysis, the covariates stratified by race, type of insurance, BMI level, HPV/p16 status, risk groups, and 8th AJCC staging were statistically significant with p-value less than 0.05. In the multivariate analysis, the covariates of insurance-private was associated with 87% reduction (hazard ratio, 0.13; 95% CI, 0.03-0.61; p=0.010), insurance-Medicare was associated with 71% reduction (hazard ratio, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.11-0.74; p=0.010), and AJCC TNM stages III, IV and IVB (98%, 97% and 93%) with reduction in the risk of death (hazard ratio, 0.02; 95% CI, 0.00-0.38; p=0.009), (hazard ratio, 0.03; 95 CI, 0.00-0.55; p=0.017), (hazard ratio, 0.07; 95% CI, 0.00-0.92), respectively. In terms of local control [LC], the C patients also had better 3-year rates 66.4%, vs. 32.8% compared to AA patients (p=0.049). Conclusion: In our patient population, race appears to be an independent prognostic factor for OS and LC in oropharyngeal SCC patients with known HPV/p16 status. Citation Format: Mary R. Nittala, Eswar K. Mundra, Maurice L. King, Ashley Albert, Williams C. Woods, Maria L. Smith, Robert D. Hamilton, Lana Jackson, Gina Jefferson, Satyaseelan Packianathan, Varsha Manucha, Srinivasan Vijayakumar. Impact of race on outcomes in oropharyngeal squamous-cell carcinoma patients with known HPV/p16 status [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Conference: Thirteenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2020 Oct 2-4. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(12 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-104.

Purpose: The objective of this study is to evaluate local control and survival rates of node negative triple negative breast cancer patients (TNBCs) treated with radiotherapy (RT) in our institution. Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of 67 TNBCs (2007 - 2017) at an academic state institution who underwent lumpectomy and /or mastectomy (surgery) followed by adjuvant irradiation to median total dose of 50 Gy (range 40.5-50.40 Gy). Chemotherapy was administered in a neoadjuvant (31) or adjuvant setting (36). For all 67 TNBCs, local control (LC), overall survival (OS) and disease free survival (DFS) were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. The significance of survival variables were analyzed using the Cox univariate and multivariate proportional hazards model. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The SPSS 24.0 software was used for data analysis. Results: The baseline characteristics of all 67 TNBCs were measured with median follow up of 58 months (range 10-142 months). Patients were stratified into two groups (neoadjuvant chemotherapy-RT (31) vs. adjuvant chemotherapy-RT (36)). The median rates for LC, DFS and OS were 27 % vs. 68 % (p= 0.001), 27.2% vs. 63.2 % (p= 0.034), and 63.4% vs. 92.5% (0.001) respectively. On Cox multivariate analysis, patients who received adjuvant chemotherapy were associated with statistically improved significant LC (p= 0.002) and OS (p=0.005). The variables included were: ethnicity (p=0.251), age (p=0.984), BMI (p=0.032), lump boost (p=0.300), TNM (p=0.162) and tumor grade (p=0.336). Conclusion: Among TNBC patients undergoing RT, adjuvant chemotherapy appears to be better than neoadjuvant chemotherapy in determining the clinical outcomes. Citation Format: Mary R. Nittala, Eswar K. Mundra, Satya Packianathan, Divyang Mehta, Maria L. Smith, William C. Woods, Shawn McKinney, Barbara S. Craft, Srinivasan Vijayakumar. Triple negative breast cancer patients treated with radiation therapy: Improvement in survival and local control with adjuvant chemotherapy compared to neoadjuvant chemotherapy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 6177.

Purpose: As survival alone does not give a holistic view on the complete picture associated with outcomes of a treatment, the main purpose of this study is to interpret the evidence of quality adjusted life year (QALY) and disability adjusted life year (DALY) on the outcomes of the nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients (NCP) treated with definitive chemo radiation therapy (chemoRT) with or without neoadjuvant induction chemotherapy. Methods: Retrospective analysis of 85 NCPs treated by concurrent chemoRT (60 %), induction chemo followed by concurrent chemoRT (23.5 %) and hospice (16.5 %) at an academic state institution. Overall survival (OS) was estimated by using Kaplan–Meier method and the differences between survival curves were calculated by log-rank test. The SPSS 24.0 software was used for data analysis. QALYs are calculated by multiplying the utility value associated with a given nasopharyngeal carcinoma phase by the years lived in that state. DALYs are calculated by combining measures of life expectancy (LE) and the adjusted quality of life during the disease phase. The relationship between QALYs gained and DALYs saved were calculated from age of the disease onset, duration of the disease, quality of life and disability weights. Results: Of the total 85 eligible NCPs of this cohort, the frequency distribution as per WHO classification was for keratinizing SCCa (Type I) 41.2 %, non-keratinizing SCCa (Type II) 42.4 % and undifferentiated carcinoma (Type III) 16.5 %. The OS median follow up for this cohort was 24 months. WHO Type I had OS of 48.6 %, Type II 29 % and Type III 39.7 % (P = 0.042). The OS of concurrent chemoRT was 32.8 % and induction chemo followed by concurrent chemoRT 14.8 % (P = 0.029) Average LE for 85 NCP cohort is 34.56 years, average DALYs saved with treatment is 20.06 years and average QALYs gained with treatment is 11.72 years. The average DALYs saved with concurrent chemoRT is 12.2 years vs 5 years with induction chemo followed by concurrent chemoRT. The average QALYs gained with concurrent chemoRT is 6.9 years vs 3.1 years with induction chemo followed by concurrent chemoRT. Summary and Conclusion: This study is significant for the following: 1. This study uses QALYs and DALYs calculated not by using survey forms but alternative methods. 2. It shows that concurrent chemoRT is superior to induction chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoRT using outcomes based on QALYs and DALYs. Our retrospective cohort OS reports similar findings to previous studies by Liang et.al and Tan et.al, that induction chemo has not shown to improve OS compared to definitive chemoRT. In addition, our data show that patients treated with concurrent chemoRT had an increased quality of life when compared to the patients treated with induction chemo followed by concurrent chemoRT. The average DALYs saved are higher in the patients treated with concurrent chemoRT over patients treated with induction chemo followed by concurrent chemoRT. Citation Format: Mary R Nittala, Madhava R Kanakamedala, Eswar K Mundra, Srinivasan Vijayakumar. Qalys and dalys are better with concurrent chemoRT than induction chemo followed by chemoRT in nasopharyngeal carcinoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Twelfth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2019 Sep 20-23; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl_2):Abstract nr C016.

Purpose: To assess whether the Will Roger’s phenomenon [WRP] exists with the move from the AJCC 7th to AJCC 8th edition in Breast Cancer staging and if racial differences are manifested in the expression of the WRP. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 300 women diagnosed with breast cancer between 2007 and 2017 at an academic medical center was performed. Pearson’s square test was used to compare the proportional differences between the anatomic staging system represented by the 7th edition and the prognostic staging of the 8th edition among Caucasian [C] and African-American [AA] women. Kaplan- Meier analysis was used to estimate overall survival [OS] and disease-free survival [DFS] between the races and compared using the log-rank test. Bi and multi-variate Cox hazard regression analyses were used to identify any racial factors associated with outcomes. The SPSS v.24.0 was used for all statistical analyses. Results: Our patient cohort included 30.3% C and 69.7% AA (median age, 62 y; range 34- 92 y). Stages I, II, III, and IV accounted for 46.2%, 26.3%, 23.1%, and 4.4% of C and 28.7%, 43.1%, 24.4%, and 3.8% of AA respectively, in anatomic staging (p= 0.043). In prognostic staging, 52.8%, 18.7%, 23%, and 5.5% were C while 35%, 17.2%, 43.5%, and 4.3 % were AA, respectively (p=0.011). A total number of 41 C (45.05 %) were upstaged compared to 100 AA (47.85 %) patients. Fifteen C patients (16.49 %) and 30 AA patients (14.35 %) were down-staged. Of the remainder, 35 C (38.46 %) and 79 AA (37.79 %) patients had their stages unchanged (P=0.859). The median follow-up duration for this cohort was 58 months (range 4- 235 months). The AA patients showed better stage -by- stage 5- year OS rates using 8th edition compared to the 7th edition, suggesting a manifestation of the WRP. Among the C patients, those who were stage IIIA in the 7th edition but became stage IB in the 8th had a better prognosis than stages IIA and IIB in the 8th edition (p=0.000). For AA patients, stage IIIA, IIIB, IIIC, and IV all demonstrated better prognoses in the 8th edition when compared to the 7th edition (p=0.000). In terms of DFS, the 8th edition’s clinical staging showed complex results (p=0.176) compared to DFS estimated using the 7th’s anatomic staging system (p=0.004). For C patients, stages IA, IB, IIB, and IIIC all recorded better DFS when using the 8th edition while for AA patients, only those with stages IB and IIIC showed better DFS in the 8th edition compared to the 7th. Conclusion: Our analyses suggest that the WRP exists in the move from the AJCC 7thto the 8th edition in breast cancer staging in both C and AA patients. However, there was significant variability between the races in the extent of its manifestation. We suggest that caution needs to be exercised when results are compared across staging systems to account for the WRP in the interpretation of the data. Citation Format: Mary R Nittala, Eswar K Mundra, SatyaSeelan Packianathan, Divyang Mehta, William C Woods, Shawn Mckinney, Barbara S Craft, Srinivasan Vijayakumar. The Will Rogers phenomenon in breast cancer: The AJCC 8th Ed. and the importance of caution in the interpretation of outcomes differences for overall population and race-specific cohorts [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Twelfth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2019 Sep 20-23; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl_2):Abstract nr B126.