Retrospective study of treatment outcomes after postoperative chemoradiotherapy in Japanese oral squamous cell carcinoma patients with risk factors of recurrence.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of postoperative concomitant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) with cisplatin (CDDP), and compare the prognosis in 3 groups-without postoperative therapy (S-only), with radiotherapy (RT) alone (S+RT), and with CRT (S+CRT)-in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients at high risk of recurrence.

METHODS: Clinicopathologic data and treatment modality were investigated. Endpoints evaluated were locoregional control (LRC), relapse-free survival, overall survival (OS), and type of recurrence.

RESULTS: The S+CRT group was associated with a better LRC rate than the S-only (P < .001) and S+RT groups (P = .044). However, there was no significant difference in OS rates between the S+RT and S+CRT groups.

CONCLUSION: The addition of concomitant CDDP to postoperative RT improved LRC. However, there may be no benefit from the addition of concomitant CDDP to postoperative RT for improvement of distant metastasis and OS rates in OSCC patients.