José L Lopez-Cedrún1, Pablo Varela-Centelles2, Ana Otero-Rico1, Inés Vázquez-Mahía1, Juan Seoane3, Pablo Castelo-Baz3, Juan Seoane-Romero4. 1. Service of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, A Coruña University Hospital (CHUAC), Galician Health Service, A Coruña, Spain. 2. Praza do Ferrol Health Centre, EOXI Lugo, Cervo e Monforte de Lemos, Galician Health Service, Lugo, Spain; Department of Surgery and Medical-Surgical Specialities, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Spain. Electronic address: pabloignacio.varela@usc.es. 3. Department of Surgery and Medical-Surgical Specialities, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Spain. 4. Department of Surgery and Medical-Surgical Specialities, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact on survival of the total time interval since the first bodily change (sign/symptom) until the start of treatment in symptomatic oral cancer patients. METHODS: Retrospective, hospital-based study designed within the "Aarhus Statement" conceptual framework, using the overall interval to treatment of 183 oral cancer patients to analyse their survival rates. RESULTS: Overall time interval (T5): 107.1 ± 85.2 days. Overall survival rate: 58.4 (CI: 51.3-66.4%). Recurrence time (median): 724 days (IQR, 223-2963.5). Median survival time: 1744 days (IQR, 479.5-3438). Overall delay (T5) and mortality showed a U-shaped association, where patients with short (24.0-55.5 days) and long T5 intervals (127.5-420 days) had higher mortality than those with medium T5 intervals (55.5-127.5 days). CONCLUSION: There is a non-monotonic association between time interval and mortality. Higher mortality rates are linked to shorter and longer time intervals. This may induce underestimation of the association when time intervals are considered dichotomously.
OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact on survival of the total time interval since the first bodily change (sign/symptom) until the start of treatment in symptomatic oral cancerpatients. METHODS: Retrospective, hospital-based study designed within the "Aarhus Statement" conceptual framework, using the overall interval to treatment of 183 oral cancerpatients to analyse their survival rates. RESULTS: Overall time interval (T5): 107.1 ± 85.2 days. Overall survival rate: 58.4 (CI: 51.3-66.4%). Recurrence time (median): 724 days (IQR, 223-2963.5). Median survival time: 1744 days (IQR, 479.5-3438). Overall delay (T5) and mortality showed a U-shaped association, where patients with short (24.0-55.5 days) and long T5 intervals (127.5-420 days) had higher mortality than those with medium T5 intervals (55.5-127.5 days). CONCLUSION: There is a non-monotonic association between time interval and mortality. Higher mortality rates are linked to shorter and longer time intervals. This may induce underestimation of the association when time intervals are considered dichotomously.