Baseline Characteristics
There were 157 patients diagnosed with HPV-positive OPSCC. Of these
patients, 146 identified as white and 11 as black. Baseline
characteristics are summarized (Table I) . The majority of
patients were male (82%) and between 50 to 65 years of age (53%).
Forty-two percent of individuals had an education of high school or
less. Eleven percent had no medical insurance, and 18% had a household
income of less than $20,000. The majority of patients reported at least
a 10 pack-year smoking history (57%) and drinking alcohol (83%). The
most common treatment modality was chemoradiation (39%), followed by
surgery with adjuvant chemoradiation (26%). Twenty-nine percent of
patients had advanced T stage at diagnosis. Only 2 out of the 157
patients presented with distant metastases.
Compared to white patients, black patients with OPSCC were significantly
more likely to be younger, have an income <$20,000, live
farther away from clinic where biopsy was performed, and have advanced T
stage at diagnosis. Black patients were more likely to have at least a
10 pack-year smoking history (82%) compared to white patients (56%),
although this difference was not statistically significant (p=0.228).
There were no significant differences by race in terms of treatment type
(p=0.805) or number of treatment modalities received (p=0.472). No other
baseline characteristics varied significantly by race.