Salvage surgery for local failure of oral squamous cell carcinoma

Local failure rates following treatment for squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity have been reported to be in the range of 25%-48%. This study investigated the pattern of failure for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the oral cavity and evaluated salvage surgery for local recurrent disease. The tumor files of 549 patients undergoing treatment for SCC of the oral cavity between 1980 and 2000 at Chiba Cancer Center Hospital were reviewed. Of 549 patients, 289 were initially treated with radiation therapy for their primary tumor, and 260 with surgery, either with or without radiation therapy. One hundred and sixty-one patients developed failures, yielding a failure rate of 29.3%. The site of recurrent tumor was local in 72 (13.1%) patients, regional in 89 (16.2%) patients, and distant in 5 (0.9%) patients. Local failure developed in 49 (17.0%) patients with radiation therapy and in 23 (8.8%) patients with surgery. Out of these 72 patients with local failure, 41 (56.9%) patients had salvage surgery for their disease. Twenty-five (73.5%) of the 34 patients initially treated with radiation therapy were salvaged with surgery, and 4 (57.1%) of the 7 patients initially treated with surgery were cured with further surgery. For the treatment of patients with local failure, the disease should be diagnosed more carefully than untreated disease. The disease that has recurred after radiation therapy may be more likely to be salvaged by surgery, however, the disease that has developed after surgery may have a limited indication for re-surgery. (author)