In-house 3D modeling associated with margin-negative resection in mandibular oral cavity malignancies.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Surgical Oncology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• T4 oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) presents significant surgical challenges.
• Achieving negative surgical margins is critical for improving patient outcomes in OCSCC resection.
• Intraoperative navigation tools can potentially enhance surgical precision.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the association between intraoperative use of patient-specific 3D printed models and surgical margin outcomes.
• To compare margin-negative resection rates in T4 OCSCC patients undergoing segmental mandibulectomy with and without 3D models.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study of 68 T4 OCSCC patients undergoing segmental mandibulectomy.
• Patients were divided into an in-house 3D model group (n=37) and a control group (n=31).
• Demographic, operative, and postoperative outcomes were collected and statistically analyzed.

Main Results:

• The 3D model group showed a significantly higher margin-negative resection rate (91.9%) compared to the control group (74.2%) (p=0.048).
• No significant differences were observed in postoperative treatment, local recurrence, distant metastasis, or overall survival between the groups.
• Cohorts were comparable in demographics, tumor characteristics, and operative factors.

Conclusions:

• Intraoperative 3D models are associated with increased rates of margin-negative ablation in T4 OCSCC bony tumor resections.
• The use of 3D modeling may reduce the need for adjuvant therapies by improving negative margin status.
• Further investigation into the utility of 3D modeling for bony tumor ablation is warranted.