The role of salvage surgery in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract

Aim: To select and analyze the most representative papers published in the literature concerning oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), specifically dealing with salvage surgery following primary treatment by surgery with or without by postoperative radiotherapy, specifically focusing in the oral cavity and oropharynx locations.

Methods: A bibliography search on MEDLINE and EMBASE databases for studies published from March 2000 to March 2016 was conducted. The authors only included studies published in the English language and those dealing with “squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity and/or oropharynx”. The following technical bibliographic exclusion criteria were applied: (1) case reports; (2) technical report; (3) animal or in vitro studies; (4) review articles; (5) uncontrolled clinical studies; and (6) publications in which the same data were published by the same group of researchers. The abstracts of yielded results were reviewed and the full text of those with apparent relevance was obtained.

Results: A total amount of 188 studies were found using the above reported searching parameters. Thirteen original papers were finally selected according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. From 1,692 analyzed patients, overall recurrence rate was 26% (range: 15-41.7%), with a mean 47.3%, 35.1% and 10.9% local, regional and loco-regional recurrence, respectively. Mean 5-year overall survival rate was 40.2% (range: 37.5-42.9%).

Conclusion: Salvage surgery is the best option for the treatment of recurrent OSCC, either local, regional or loco-regional, with the highest rates in terms of survival and with an acceptable morbidity.

Keywords

Salvage surgery / oral squamous cell carcinoma / recurrent oral cancer

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