Abstract
Background: Surgery with adjuvant radiotherapy is the accepted standard for treatment of advanced oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC); however, alternative evidence suggests that definitive (chemo)radiotherapy may have similar outcomes. Methods: Systematic review was performed to assess the therapeutic value of radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy as a primary modality for treating OCSCC. Meta-analysis of outcomes was performed between articles comparing radiotherapy and primary surgical treatment. Results: Meta-analysis showed less favorable results of radiotherapy compared to surgery: overall survival at 3-years (odds ratio [OR] = 0.51; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.34–0.77) and 5-years (OR = 0.42; 95% CI = 0.29–0.60); disease-specific survival at 3-years (OR = 0.55; 95% CI = 0.32–0.96) and 5-years (OR = 0.55; 95% CI = 0.32–0.96). Odds of feeding tube dependency were higher in primary radiotherapy group (OR = 2.67; 95% CI = 1.27–5.64). Conclusions: Results of this study support the current perspective favoring primary surgical treatment for OCSCC in the absence of surgical contraindications.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 3165-3176 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Head and Neck |
Volume | 43 |
Issue number | 10 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 2021 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- chemoradiotherapy
- oral cancer
- radiotherapy
- squamous cell carcinoma
- survival
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Otorhinolaryngology