Modified TALK Score for Japanese Patients with Laryngeal and Hypopharyngeal Cancers to Predict the Possibility of Laryngeal Preservation by Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy.

OBJECTIVE: TALK score has been developed as an index for predicting the possibility of larynx preservation and prognosis of the patients with advanced laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancers treated by concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). In this study, we validated the original TALK score in our clinical setting and modified the score for Japanese population.

METHODS: The subjects were 21 patients with laryngeal cancer and 50 patients with hypopharyngeal cancer who underwent CCRT at Kobe University Hospital between April 2007 and August 2012. Data regarding T stage, serum albumin level just before treatment, maximum alcohol use, Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS), 3-year overall survival rate and 3-year larynx-preservation rate were collected from medical records. In the revised TALK score (JTALK), the following scoring criteria were modified to adjust Japanese population: T stage of the primary tumor (≥T3), serum albumin level (<3.5 g/dl), maximum alcohol use (≥one 350-ml can of beer/day or an equivalent amount), and KPS (<80%).

RESULTS: The original TALK score was not significantly associated with the larynx preservation rates or survival rates for laryngeal cancer or hypopharyngeal cancer. Instead, JTALK score was significantly associated with the 3-year larynx preservation rates and 3-year survival rates of the patients with hypopharyngeal and laryngeal cancer.

CONCLUSION: These results indicate that JTALK score could be a useful index for predicting the possibility of larynx preservation and prognosis of Japanese patients with advanced laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer treated by CCRT.