Pathologically determined tumor volume vs pathologic T stage in the prediction of outcome after surgical treatment of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Importance: Traditional prognostic models for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck are based on the TNM staging system. However, there is growing evidence that tumor volume (TV) may be a more accurate predictor of outcome.

Objective: To determine whether pathologic TV (pTV) in patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma treated surgically is a more significant predictor of outcome compared with pathologic tumor (pT) stage.