Improved prognosis for patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma: Analysis of the National Cancer Database 1998-2006

Abstract

Background Improvements in prognosis have been reported for oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) in international cohorts. We sought to quantify improvement in survival of OCSCC and to determine factors associated with survival in the United States using a large administrative database. Methods Retrospective cohort study of 13,655 patients with OCSCC in the National Cancer Database diagnosed during time periods 1998-2003 and 2004-2006. Statistical methods included chi-square and Cox regression. Results Patients with early (Stages I and II) and late stage (Stages III and IV) disease had improvements of 36.2% and 16.0% in three-year overall survival, respectively. Receipt of adjuvant chemoradiation increased from 8.3% to 36.4% for late stage disease, while receipt of adjuvant therapy in early stage disease remained stable. Patients with early stage disease increased from 64.1% for years 1998-2003 to 67.4% during 2004-2006 (p