Impact of surgical margins status on survival outcomes in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to analyse the impact of surgical margins on survival outcomes for patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC).

METHODS

Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated to define the impact of positive and close margins on overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and disease-specific survival (DSS).

RESULTS

A total of 14 studies enrolling 4839 patients (of whom 3837 males, or 79.3%), with a median age of 59 years, were included. The incidence of positive margins was 9.1%, while that of close margins was 27.3%. The estimated pooled HRs for patients with positive surgical margins were 2.265 (95% CI: 1.431-3.584; p = 0.003) for OS, 2.076 (95% CI: 1.652-2.608; p < 0.001) for DFS, and 2.163 (95% CI: 1.349-3.468; p = 0.014) for DSS. For patients with close margins, the HRs were 1.409 (95% CI: 1.064-1.866; p = 0.024) for OS, 1.775 (95% CI: 0.910-3.462; p = 0.078) for DFS, and 1.123 (95% CI: 0.425-2.974; p = 0.658) for DSS.

CONCLUSIONS

Positive surgical margins are a significant prognostic factor in OCSCC. Further studies are required to better define the impact of close margins.