Predictors of Early Versus Late Recurrence in Post-Surgical Oral Cancer Patients

This retrospective study evaluated predictors of early versus late recurrence in 277 patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) who underwent surgical treatment between 2017 and 2020. Using receiver operating characteristic analysis, an 8-month disease-free survival cutoff effectively stratified patients into early (DFS < 8 months) and late (DFS ≥ 8 months) recurrence groups. Early recurrence was associated with significantly poorer overall survival (mean OS 24.03 months) compared to late recurrence (mean OS 35.26 months). Multivariate logistic regression identified adjuvant therapy status and type, bone involvement, positive pathological nodal stage, and perineural invasion as independent predictors of early recurrence. Local recurrences demonstrated better survival outcomes than regional or distant failures. The findings underscore the prognostic significance of recurrence timing and highlight the need for risk-adapted surveillance and tailored adjuvant strategies in high-risk OSCC patients.