The purpose of this study was to determine clinical factors that predict locoregional recurrence or distant metastasis in patients with human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive oropharyngeal cancer treated with surgery and guideline-indicated adjuvant therapy.

We identified all presumed HPV-positive patients with oropharyngeal cancer in our health system from January 2010 to August 2012 treated with surgery and guideline-indicated adjuvant therapy. Statistical analysis was performed to identify clinical predictors associated with treatment failure.

One hundred fourteen p16+ oropharyngeal cancers managed with initial surgical resection were identified. Median follow-up was 17 months. Two-year locoregional failure was 3.3% and distant failure was 8.4%. Statistical analysis found that conventional poor prognostic features did not predict treatment failure.

Locoregional recurrence and development of distant metastatic disease are uncommon in patients who are appropriately selected for surgical management of p16+ oropharyngeal cancer regardless of the presence or absence of conventional poor prognostic features.