Objectives: To examine survival endpoints in patients with tumor (T)4b oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) with pathologically proven masticator space invasion treated with primary surgery followed by adjuvant therapy.
Study design: Retrospective review at an academic cancer center.
Methods: Twenty-five patients with T4b OCSCC with pathologic masticator space invasion were treated with primary surgery from May 2012 to December 2016. Only patients with ≥ 2 years follow-up from date of surgery were included. Sixteen patients received adjuvant chemoradiation.
Results: Median follow-up time was 39 months from date of surgery. Overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and recurrence-free survival at 24 months were 44.0%, 63.2%, and 52.6%, respectively. On univariate analyses, adjuvant chemoradiation was associated with improved OS. Advanced age and prolonged length of hospital stay was associated with worse OS.
Conclusion: For pT4b OCSCCA involving the masticator space, primary surgical resection followed by adjuvant chemoradiation demonstrates 24-month DSS of > 50% and OS of 44%.
Level of evidence: 4 Laryngoscope, 131:E466-E472, 2021.
Keywords: Oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma; T4b tumor; masticator space; oral cancer.
© 2020 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.