20 pack-year smoking history as strongest smoking metric predictive of HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer outcomes.

Objectives: While smoking is associated with worse outcomes in HPV-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC), the magnitude of this association is unclear given the heterogenous smoking definitions and outcomes. Our objective was to investigate the association between smoking, survival, and recurrence in HPV-related OPSCC using multiple smoking metrics reported in the literature.

Materials And Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of 375 adults with p16+ OPSCC undergoing surgical resection (n = 272) or definitive chemoradiation (n = 103) at a tertiary academic institution from 2006 to 2017.

Outcomes of Patients With Single-Node Metastasis of Human Papillomavirus-Related Oropharyngeal Cancer Treated With Transoral Surgery.

Importance: Regional lymph node metastasis remains an important prognostic factor in patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). Although survival among patients with regional metastasis in human papillomavirus (HPV)-related OPSCC is more favorable compared with patients who are HPV negative, prognostic variables associated with failure in patients with single-node metastasis are not known.

Objective: To evaluate recurrence and survival in patients with HPV-related OPSCC with single-lymph node metastasis treated with transoral surgery.

Risk and Rate of Occult Contralateral Nodal Disease in Surgically Treated Patients With Human Papillomavirus-Related Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Base of the Tongue.

Importance: The optimal treatment strategy for patients with human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) of the base of the tongue (BOT) has not been sufficiently studied.

Objective: To investigate the rate of and risk factors for occult contralateral nodal disease in patients with HPV-related BOT OPSCC undergoing transoral surgery and bilateral neck dissections.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This retrospective case series reviewed the medical records of patients with HPV-related BOT OPSCC who underwent transoral surgery and bilateral neck dissections from January 1, 2002, through December 31, 2018, at the tertiary care center of Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis.

Multi-institutional analysis of outcomes following transoral surgery for HPV-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma in elderly patients.

Background: The incidence of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) is rising, even in elderly patients. The outcomes of transoral surgery (TOS) in this population are not entirely known.

Methods: A retrospective review was performed at two institutions from October 2003 to September 2016 on patients 70 years or older with HPV-related OPSCC treated with TOS.

T cells promote microglia-mediated synaptic elimination and cognitive dysfunction during recovery from neuropathogenic flaviviruses.

T cells clear virus from the CNS and dynamically regulate brain functions, including spatial learning, through cytokine signaling. Here we determined whether hippocampal T cells that persist after recovery from infection with West Nile virus (WNV) or Zika virus (ZIKV) impact hippocampal-dependent learning and memory. Using newly established models of viral encephalitis recovery in adult animals, we show that in mice that have recovered from WNV or ZIKV infection, T cell-derived interferon-γ (IFN-γ) signaling in microglia underlies spatial-learning defects via virus-target-specific mechanisms.