Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 1, 2026
Translationally-Relevant Tumor Resection Model for Murine Preclinical Models of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Published on: April 3, 2026
Early tongue carcinoma: analysis of failure
Michal Preis1, Tuvia Hadar, Ethan Soudry
1Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Campus, Petach Tikva, Israel.
Background:
Failure rate of surgery for early tongue carcinoma remains high. We sought to identify patterns of failure and recurrence risk factors.
Methods:
Data review was carried out on 50 patients treated for early tongue carcinoma (T1/2N0M0); surgery was unsuccessful in 11 of these patients. All patients underwent transoral resection of the tongue tumor and prophylactic neck dissection (supraomohyoid).
Results:
Tumor recurred within 3 to 18 months. Nine died of disease. Four had failure in neck level 4, 6 in level 1, and 1 simultaneously in level 1 and locally. Most tumors were moderately differentiated. Average depth was 6.64 mm.
Conclusions:
We report 11 patients with early tongue carcinoma who failed local excision with neck dissection. Failures occurred in level 4 (4 patients) and level 1 (7 patients). This group may benefit from extended neck surgery. Sex, age, stage, and depth of tumor were not significantly different in the group with treatment failure. Tumors in the group with treatment failure were more poorly differentiated.
