Background: Modest survival rates are published for treatment of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) using conventional approaches. Few cohort studies are available for transoral resection of OSCC.
Methods: Analysis for recurrence, survival, and prognosis of patients with OSCC treated with transoral laser microsurgery (TLM) ± neck dissection was obtained from a prospective database.
Results: Ninety-five patients (71 patients had stages T1-T2 and 24 had stages T3-T4 disease) with minimum follow-up of 24 months met criteria and demonstrated negative margins in 95%. Five-year local control (LC) and disease-specific survival (DSS) were 78% and 76%, respectively. Surgical salvage achieved an absolute final locoregional control of 92%. Immune compromise and final margins were prognostic for LC, whereas T classification, N classification, TNM stage, comorbidity, and perineural invasion were also significant for DSS.
Conclusion: We document a large series of patients with OSCC treated with TLM, incorporating T1 to T4 primaries. A significant proportion of stage III/IV cases demonstrates feasibility of TLM in higher stages, with final margin positivity of 5%, LC greater than 90%, and comparable survival outcomes.
Keywords: laser; oral cancer; survival; tongue; transoral microsurgery.
Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.