Clinical Spectrum, Treatment and Relapse Patterns in 353 Patients with Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Alveobuccal...

Oral cancer is one of the most common cancers in Indian subcontinent with alveobuccal complex as most common cancer sub site. Cancers of Alveobuccal complex provides maximum challenge and management guidelines are not clear. The aim of the present study is to provide comprehensive demographic, clinical and treatment outcome data of alveobuccal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) patients treated at a tertiary care cancer center in North India.

An analysis of prospectively maintained database in department of surgical oncology at Dr BRA-IRCH, AIIMS, Delhi, India was performed. All alveobuccal cancer patients who had undergone surgery from 1995 to 2010 were included for analysis.

A total of 353 patients were included for analysis. Mean age was 49.75 years (SD ±12.04) with male and female ratio of 4:1. Composite resection without mandible was done in 25 % patients and 75 % underwent mandibular resection. Neck dissection was performed in 347 patients. Nodal deposits were identified in 124 (35.73 %) neck dissection specimens. Margin negative resection was performed in 89.5 % cases. After a median follow up of 30 months, 87 (24.64 %) patients developed disease relapse and 25 (7.08 %) patients developed second primaries. Overall 5-year disease free survival (DFS) was 57.65 % and 5 year overall survival (OS) was 59.86 %.

Among Indian oral cancer patients alveobuccal complex is most common sub site. Majority presents in locally advanced stage and reasonably good outcomes can be achieved with quality control surgery and judicious use of radiotherapy.