{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,29]],"date-time":"2026-06-29T07:48:50Z","timestamp":1782719330980,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":41,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,29]],"date-time":"2026-06-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1782691200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Current Oncology"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Head and neck neuroendocrine carcinoma (HN-NEC) is exceedingly rare. Standardized treatment strategies for this malignancy remain unestablished. This study aimed to explore promising treatment modalities, and to identify prognostic factors in HN-NEC. Materials and Methods: Thirty-nine patients diagnosed with HN-NEC at West China Hospital of Sichuan University between 2006 and 2025 were enrolled. The 5-year survival rates were estimated by Kaplan\u2013Meier analysis. The log-rank test and Firth\u2019s penalized Cox multivariable analysis regression model were used to identify prognostic factors. Results: The 5-year locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRRFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and overall survival (OS) rates for patients who did and did not receive radiotherapy were 63.2% vs. 29.6% (p = 0.031), 75.5% vs. 48.0% (p = 0.065), and 81.4% vs. 46.9% (p = 0.039), respectively. Laryngeal NEC was associated with poorer 5-year DMFS (41.2% vs. 87.5%, p = 0.023) and 5-year OS (38.1% vs. 92.9%, p = 0.027) compared with non-laryngeal HN-NEC. Radiotherapy (HR = 0.152, 95% CI: 0.025\u20130.757, p = 0.022) was a potentially protective factor influencing LRRFS. Conclusions: Radiotherapy may be associated with improved LRRFS in patients with HN-NEC. HN-NEC originating in the larynx appeared to be associated with a poorer prognosis compared with other primary sites of the head and neck.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/curroncol33070390","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,29]],"date-time":"2026-06-29T05:49:33Z","timestamp":1782712173000},"page":"390","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Clinical Characteristics and Prognosis of Neuroendocrine Carcinoma in the Head and Neck: A Single-Institutional Retrospective Analysis"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"33","author":[{"given":"Chengyan","family":"Yang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Head & Neck Tumor Multimodality Treatment, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37 Guoxue Alley, Chengdu 610041, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kun","family":"Gao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Head & Neck Tumor Multimodality Treatment, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37 Guoxue Alley, Chengdu 610041, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shuangshuang","family":"He","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Oncology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 401120, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mengyuan","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Head & Neck Tumor Multimodality Treatment, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37 Guoxue Alley, Chengdu 610041, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ping","family":"Ai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Head & Neck Tumor Multimodality Treatment, Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37 Guoxue Alley, Chengdu 610041, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"101105","DOI":"10.1016\/j.currproblcancer.2024.101105","article-title":"High-grade neuroendocrine head and neck cancer: Case series and review of the literature","volume":"51","author":"Fuentes","year":"2024","journal-title":"Curr. 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