Expert consensus on surgical treatment of oropharyngeal cancer

With the increasing proportion of human papilloma virus (HPV) infection in the pathogenic factors of oropharyngeal cancer, a series of changes have occurred in the surgical treatment. While the treatment mode has been improved, there are still many problems, including the inconsistency between diagnosis and treatment modes, the lack of popularization of reconstruction technology, the imperfect post-treatment rehabilitation system, and the lack of effective preventive measures. Especially in terms of treatment mode for early oropharyngeal cancer, there is no unified conclusion whether it is surgery alone or radiotherapy alone, and whether robotic minimally invasive surgery has better functional protection than radiotherapy. For advanced oropharyngeal cancer, there is greater controversy over the treatment mode. It is still unclear whether to adopt a non-surgical treatment mode of synchronous chemoradiotherapy or induction chemotherapy combined with synchronous chemoradiotherapy, or a treatment mode of surgery combined with postoperative chemoradiotherapy. In order to standardize the surgical treatment of oropharyngeal cancer in China and clarify the indications for surgical treatment of oropharyngeal cancer, this expert consensus, based on the characteristics and treatment status of oropharyngeal cancer in China and combined with the international latest theories and practices, forms consensus opinions in multiple aspects of preoperative evaluation, surgical indication determination, primary tumor resection, neck lymph node dissection, postoperative defect repair, postoperative complication management prognosis and follow-up of oropharyngeal cancer patients. The key points include: ① Before the treatment of oropharyngeal cancer, the expression of P16 protein should be detected to clarify HPV status; ② Perform enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of the maxillofacial region before surgery to evaluate the invasion of oropharyngeal cancer and guide precise surgical resection of oropharyngeal cancer. Evaluating mouth opening and airway status is crucial for surgical approach decisions and postoperative risk prediction; ③ For oropharyngeal cancer patients who have to undergo major surgery and cannot eat for one to two months, it is recommended to undergo percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy before surgery to effectively improve their nutritional intake during treatment; ④ Early-stage oropharyngeal cancer patients may opt for either surgery alone or radiation therapy alone. For intermediate and advanced stages, HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer generally prioritizes radiation therapy, with concurrent chemotherapy considered based on tumor staging. Surgical treatment is recommended as the first choice for HPV unrelated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (including primary and recurrent) and recurrent HPV related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma after radiotherapy and chemotherapy; ⑤ For primary exogenous T1-2 oropharyngeal cancer, direct surgery through the oral approach or da Vinci robotic surgery is preferred. For T3-4 patients with advanced oropharyngeal cancer, it is recommended to use temporary mandibulectomy approach and lateral pharyngotomy approach for surgery as appropriate; ⑥ For cT1-2N0 oropharyngeal cancer patients with tumor invasion depth >3 mm and cT3-4N0 HPV unrelated oropharyngeal cancer patients, selective neck dissection of levels IB to IV is recommended. For cN+ HPV unrelated oropharyngeal cancer patients, therapeutic neck dissection in regions I-V is advised; ⑦ If PET-CT scan at 12 or more weeks after completion of radiation shows intense FDG uptake in any node, or imaging suggests continuous enlargement of lymph nodes, the patient should undergo neck dissection; ⑧ For patients with suspected extracapsular invasion preoperatively, lymph node dissection should include removal of surrounding muscle and adipose connective tissue; ⑨ The reconstruction of oropharyngeal cancer defects should follow the principle of reconstruction steps, with priority given to adjacent flaps, followed by distal pedicled flaps, and finally free flaps. The anterolateral thigh flap with abundant tissue can be used as the preferred flap for large-scale postoperative defects.