Investigating Risk Factors for Locoregional Recurrence in Buccal Mucosal Carcinoma: A Retrospective Study

Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) of the buccal mucosa (BM) presents significant clinical challenges due to its high recurrence rate.This retrospective study aims to identify factors influencing locoregional recurrence (LRR) in patients with biopsy-proven BM OSCC.Material and Methods: A total of 86 patients with biopsy-proven BM OSCC diagnosed and treated between August 2021 and July 2022 at the Department of Surgical Oncology, Tertiary care Institute of Western India were included.Staging was performed using contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) scans.Treatment involved wide local excision, neck dissection, and reconstruction, followed by adjuvant radiotherapy for high-risk cases.Follow-ups included monthly physical exams, chest X-rays, and CECT scans for suspected recurrences.Results: Significant epidemiological and histopathological risk factors for LRR were identified, including age, pathological stage, T/N stage, depth of invasion (DOI), perineural invasion (PNI), lymphovascular invasion (LVI), extranodal extension (ENE), and surgical margins. Conclusions:The study highlights critical factors associated with LRR in BM OSCC, suggesting the need for targeted treatment and follow-up protocols.Further studies of larger sample sizes are needed to validate these results.