Risk factors for posttreatment mastoid cellulitis in patients with oral malignancy

To investigate the possible risk factors for mastoid cellulitis after treatment in patients with oral cancer.

Patients with oral cancer who underwent preoperative and postoperative contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) between January 2017 and March 2020 were retrospectively evaluated. Using an image reporting system, cases with reports containing the keyword "mastoid cellulitis" were registered in the mastoid cellulitis group. Fifty patients with oral cancer who did not develop mastoid cellulitis were randomly selected as the control group. Information concerning age, sex, location, and histopathological type of the primary tumor, presence or absence of cervical lymph node metastasis, and treatment methods were obtained from the hospital's electronic medical records to investigate the association between these factors and the occurrence of mastoid cellulitis.

Statistically significant differences were observed in the following factors: age (p = 0.004), primary tumor site (p < 0.001), histopathological type (p = 0.032), radiotherapy (p < 0.001), and chemotherapy (p < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis revealed that maxillary tumors (p < 0.001), histopathological type (p = 0.047), and radiotherapy (p = 0.0301) were significantly associated with the occurrence of mastoid cellulitis.

In oral cancer, the risk of postoperative mastoid cellulitis was higher in patients with a maxillary tumor, histopathology other than squamous cell carcinoma, and history of radiotherapy.