Is there a difference in survival compared with other subsites in the oral cavity?
PURPOSE: Advances in the management of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) have confounded the importance of site in predicting overall prognosis. The purpose of this retrospective study was to review the outcome of patients with OSCC and to determine if site is a significant predictor of survival or disease-free survival. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The records of 233 patients that underwent surgery for resectable OSCC treated at a single institution from 1993 to 2003 were identified. Patients with positive surgical margins, high grade histology, aggressive biologic behavior, or advanced stage disease underwent adjuvant radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy. The demographics, site, stage, pathologic, treatment, and survival data were collected and statistically analyzed in an attempt to identify predictors of loco-regional control and disease-free survival. Descriptive statistics were calculated for each variable and survival was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. For purpo
