Datasets

Carcinomas of the Oropharynx and Nasopharynx

Scope

The dataset has been developed for the reporting of resection and biopsy specimens of the oropharynx and nasopharynx. For resections of recurrent disease, the reporting guide may be used pragmatically although some data elements may be not applicable nor assessable. The protocol applies to all primary carcinomas (including of minor salivary glands) of the nasopharynx and oropharynx, the latter including the base of tongue, tonsils, tonsillar fossa, tonsillar pillars, soft palate, posterior and lateral walls, and uvula. Although rare, neuroendocrine tumours (NET) and neuroendocrine carcinomas (NEC) are also included. It does not apply to recurrent disease but may be used for residual disease after prior therapy (see below). Lymphomas, sarcomas, and mucosal melanomas are not included. Malignancies arising at other sites in the head and neck region, and neck dissections and nodal excisions are dealt with in separate datasets which may be used, as appropriate, in conjunction with this dataset.

When a biopsy specimen is the only specimen ever received, elements specific to the biopsy should be reported, recognising elements applicable to surgically resected tumours cannot be reliably completed. Although multiple synchronous and metachronous primary oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) are uncommon and are usually of the same high risk human papillomavirus (HPV) type, there is no data to suggest that they are not simply separate primary tumours. Thus, for oropharyngeal carcinomas, each distinct focus should be considered a separate primary tumour, and should receive its own separate dataset. However, for nasopharyngeal tumours, even if the tumour appears to be multifocal clinically and pathologically, these are regarded and treated as a single primary.

Publication History

This dataset was developed with the kind support of the North American Society of Head and Neck Pathology (NASHNP), American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology (AAOMP), International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathologists (IAOP), and British Society for Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology (BSOMP).

2nd edition – July 2024. Updated following the publication of the 2024 World Health Organization (WHO) Classification of Head and Neck Tumours, 5th edition.

SUMMARY OF CHANGES

• Added a new element ‘Clinical information, which incorporates the original element ‘Neoadjuvant therapy’.
• Updated the ‘Tumour site’ element.
• Added a separate element ‘Tumour laterality’.
• Added a new element ‘Block identification key’.
• Updated the ‘Histological tumour type’ element.
• Updated the ‘Histological tumour grade’ element.
• Removed the ‘Depth of invasion’ element.
• Added the ‘Extent of invasion’ element.
• Updated the ‘Coexistent pathology’ element.
• Updated the ‘Ancillary studies’ element.
• Other minor updates to elements were also included.
• Revised all notes, including incorporation of the most recent 2024 WHO Classification.

  • To reference this dataset please use the following citation: Chernock RD, Badoual C, Faquin WC, Hernandez-Prera J, Iyer NG, Katabi N, O’Sullivan B, Robinson M, Willems S, Helliwell T, Thompson LDR, (2024). Carcinomas of the Oropharynx and Nasopharynx Histopathology Reporting Guide. 2nd edition. International Collaboration on Cancer Reporting; Sydney, Australia. ISBN: 978-1-922324-47-4.

1st edition – September 2018

  • To reference this dataset please use the following citation: Lewis JS Jr, Adelstein DJ, Agaimy A, Carlson D, Faquin WC, Helliwell T, Hille J, Nicholls JM, Ng T, O’Sullivan B, Thompson LDR (2018). Carcinomas of the Nasopharynx and Oropharynx Histopathology Reporting Guide. 1st edition. International Collaboration on Cancer Reporting; Sydney, Australia. ISBN: 978-1-925687-18-7.
  • Read more on the Carcinomas of the nasopharynx and oropharynx dataset from the journal article written by the dataset authors: Data set for the reporting of carcinomas of the nasopharynx and oropharynx: Explanations and recommendations of the guidelines from the International Collaboration on Cancer Reporting (ICCR). Lewis JS Jr, Adelstein DJ, Agaimy A, Carlson D, Faquin WC, Helliwell T, Hille J, Ng T, Nicholls J, O’Sullivan B, Thompson LDR. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2019 Apr;143(4):447-451. doi: 10.5858/arpa.2018-0405-SA. Epub 2018 Nov 30.

Expert Committee

The 2nd edition of the dataset for Carcinomas of the oropharynx and nasopharynx was developed by the following international team:
  • Chair – Rebecca Chernock, USA
  • Series Champion – Lester Thompson, USA
  • ICCR representative and domain expert – Tim Helliwell, UK
Domain experts:
  • Cécile Badoual, France
  • William Faquin, USA
  • Juan Hernandez-Prera, USA
  • N Gopalakrishna Iyer, Singapore
  • Nora Katabi, USA
  • Brian O’Sullivan, Canada
  • Max Robinson, UK
  • Stefan Willems, The Netherlands

Authors of the previous edition of this dataset are available here.

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