Clinical Outcomes of Patients With PT1-T2N0 Oral Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes in a cohort of patients with early-stage oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC).

Materials And Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients with pT1-T2N0 (American Joint Committee on Cancer [AJCC] seventh edition) OTSCC treated from 2000 to 2018. Two-year actuarial rates of local regional control, cancer-specific survival, and overall survival were calculated for the entire cohort and patients with/without adjuvant radiation.

Results: Ninety-six patients met the criteria with a median follow-up of 4 years; 14 had adjuvant radiation, while 82 had surgery alone. Two-year local regional control was 82.7% (75.4% to 90.8%) for the entire cohort, 84.9% (77.8% to 93.2%) for surgery only, and 70.7% (50.2% to 99.6%) for patients with adjuvant radiation. Two-year progression-free survival was 82.7% (75.3% to 90.8%). Of the 20 patients with recurrence, 11 (55%) were successfully salvaged.

Conclusion: Local regional recurrence remains modest in early-stage OTSCC, but salvage is possible with high survival rates.

Level Of Evidence: Level III-retrospective cohort study.