Outcome of Adjuvant Radiotherapy and Adjuvant Chemoradiation for Oral Cancers with Close Margins of Resection

Oral cancers comprise 50% of all head and neck malignancies in India which can be attributed to tobacco chewing. Advanced oral cancers are managed with surgery followed by adjuvant radiotherapy or adjuvant chemoradiation. There is paucity of studies regarding need for adjuvant treatment in oral cancers with close margins i.e. ≤ 0.5 cm after formalin fixation. This study aims at documenting the oncological outcome with regards to loco-regional control, disease-free survival, overall survival and complications of adjuvant radiotherapy and adjuvant chemoradiation in operated oral cancer patients having close margins of resection. In this Retrospective cohort study, 163 patients with stage T1–T4 oral cancers operated between 2015 and 2019 who have fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria, received adjuvant treatment and could be followed up for at least one year were included. At the end of 45 months, the overall survival was 74.7% and disease specific survival was 82.7%. Among the 7 patients who defaulted radiotherapy, 4 patients succumbed to the disease. Complications were bone marrow depression (2 patients), dysphagia (17) and Trismus (1). Adjuvant radiotherapy should be given in oral cancer patients with close margins of resection since it improves the oncological outcome and disease specific survival and the benefit often outweighs the risk.