Survival outcomes after surgical treatment of oral squamous cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the clinicopathological parameters that influence survival in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma, in order to allow for the development of individualized surveillance programmes and reduce the delay in diagnosis of recurrence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective chart review of 553 patients with a treatment-naive primary oral squamous cell carcinoma, who underwent primarily curative intended surgery. Exclusion criteria were neoadjuvant radio(chemo)therapy, follow-up < 1 year, perioperative death, inoperable disease, synchronous multiple malignancies and inadequate information on clinicopathological parameters. RESULTS: The clinicopathological factors that influence overall survival, disease-free survival and locoregional control were calculated. In the multivariate survival analysis, the occurrence of recurrence, presence of extracapsular spread, T- and N-classification were shown to be independent risk factors for overall survival. CONCLUSION: The identification of these risk factors can lead to the development of individualized follow-up programmes based on risk stratification. This allows for the earliest possible diagnosis of relapse which is essential to offer the patient a realistic second treatment chance and to improve survival rates.