Is postoperative adjuvant therapy necessary for pT3N0 oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma?

• Published in: Oral oncology 2025-01, Vol.162, p.107198, Article 107198
• Main Authors: Hua, Chun-Hung, Lin, Jin-Ching, Wen, Yu-Wen, Kang, Chung-Jan, Lin, Chien-Yu, Ku, Hsiu-Ying, Fan, Kang-Hsing, Ng, Shu-Hang, Lee, Shu-Ru, Tsai, Yao-Te, Chen, Wen-Cheng, Lee, Li-Yu, Chien, Chih-Yen, Wang, Cheng Ping, Che, Tsung-Ming, Terng, Shyuang-Der, Tsai, Chi-Ying, Wang, Hung-Ming, Hsieh, Chia-Hsun, Yeh, Chih-Hua, Lin, Chih-Hung, Tsao, Chung-Kan, Cheng, Nai-Ming, Fang, Tuan-Jen, Huang, Shiang-Fu, Lee, Li-Ang, Fang, Ku-Hao, Wang, Yu-Chien, Lin, Wan-Ni, Hsin, Li-Jen, Yen, Tzu-Chen, Liao, Chun-Ta
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adjuvant therapy; Oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma; Propensity score matching; pT3N0; Survival outcomes
• ISSN: 1368-8375; 1879-0593; 1879-0593
• DOI: 10.1016/j.oraloncology.2025.107198

•The role of adjuvant therapy in pT3N0 OCSCC remains controversial.•Surgery alone yields comparable survival outcomes to surgery plus adjuvant therapy.•Surgery alone was not identified as an independent risk factor for poor outcomes.•pT3N0 status alone is not sufficient to indicate poor prognosis in OCSCC. The current NCCN guidelines advocate for the use of adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) or chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in pT3N0 oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC). Here, we sought to evaluate whether postoperative RT/CRT may confer a survival advantage in pT3N0 patients who lack adverse pathological features. A dataset of 852 pT3N0 OCSCC patients treated between 2018 and 2021 was analyzed. Patients with adverse pathological features (i.e., positive margins, margins