Pattern of Recurrence of Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma; A clinicopathological study

Background: Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC) is a diverse subset of head and neck cancers and ranks among the most prevalent cancers in the world.Aim and objectives: To identify technological variables that, combined with surgical treatment for oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), increase the likelihood of loco-regional recurrence.Patients and methods: The recurrence group consisted of 30 patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma who had initially undergone surgical tumor removal, while the no-recurrence group consisted of 98 patients who did not experience recurrence of their cancer. The study took place in the surgical oncology department at Al-Azhar University from April 2022 to April 2024.Results: There was also a statistically significant difference (p=0.003) in the distribution of lesion locations between the two groups. In the recurrence group, the most common sites were buccal mucosa (46.7%) and the lateral border of the tongue (23.3%), while in the no-recurrence group, the most common sites were the lateral border of the tongue (33.7%) and buccal mucosa (29.6%).Conclusion: Local recurrence was more likely in patients who were older at diagnosis, who smoked, who had surgery on soft tissues, who had positive surgical margins, who had moderate to high peritumoral inflammation, who had perineural invasion, and who had bone involvement. On the other hand, local recurrence was less common in patients who received adjuvant radiation after surgery. In the univariate analysis, however, no significant correlation was found between local recurrence risk and characteristics such as gender, lesion site, T classification, N classification, histologic grade, or tumor thickness. There was a statistically significant difference (p=0.003) in the distribution of lesion locations between the two groups.