[Retrospective DOSAK study of oral cavity carcinomas. Results and consequences]

In a multicentric, retrospective observational study on carcinomas of the oral cavity including the lips and the oropharynx a data material of 1021 patients has been analyzed. The specific goals of this study were: Review of existing proposals for classification; Analysis of prognostically relevant factors of the tumor disease; Construction of a prognostic index for the determination of individual and collective prognoses. The following results were gained: None of the TNM-classifications of oral cavity carcinomas does the necessary criteria justice not even approximately. The multivariate analyses of prognostically relevant factors were performed with and without taking therapeutical factors into account. The results unequivocally show that reliable prognoses are only possible under consideration of various treatment modalities. This led to the construction of the treatment-dependent prognostic index TPI, which will be eligible for the use within the clinical-therapeutical cancer research and within the clinical practice.