Carcinoma of the oral cavity. factors affecting treatment failure at the primary site and neck.

A retrospective review of the clinical records of patients with carcinoma of the oral cavity was undertaken, and several parameters were studied in terms of comparing two groups of patients: those who were controlled at the primary site and neck and others who failed locally or regionally following initial treatment. A comparative statistical analysis of the factors studied revealed that female patients who had a higher T status, a higher N status, and thus a higher stage of disease did poorly in terms of local and regional control of disease. Those patients whose primary tumors manifested deep invasion and those who had positive margins after surgical resection at the primary site had also a significantly high incidence of local/regional failure. Presence of extracapsular extension of disease in cervical lymph nodes and involvement of soft tissues in the neck as well as involvement of multiple lymph nodes at multiple levels also put the patients in a high risk category. We urge that these factors be considered as prognostic criteria and be used to select patients for treatment by additional modalities on an elective basis in hope of achieving better local and regional control of disease and perhaps better cure rates.