Squamous cell carcinoma of buccal mucosa: a 40-year review.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to analyze the outcome of surgical therapy for buccal squamous cell carcinoma (SCCA) at a single tertiary care institution during a 40-year period.


METHODS
A retrospective review was performed by examining the records and pathology of 48 patients with buccal SCCA treated at a single tertiary care institution from 1970 to 2009.


RESULTS
Treatment entailed surgery alone in 18 patients (37.5%) and surgery followed by radiation therapy in 30 patients (62.5%). Composite resection was performed in 17 patients (35.4%), and ipsilateral neck dissections were performed in 37 patients (77.1%). One-year observed actuarial disease-free survival rates were 60%, 46%, 0%, and 40% for T1 through T4, respectively. Univariate analysis revealed increased age as a risk factor for disease recurrence (P = .062), with skin taken and neck dissection not achieving significance (P = .24 and .20, respectively). Multivariate analysis demonstrated age as increasing risk and neck dissection as decreasing risk of recurrence (P = .029 and .023, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
We report relatively high disease-free survival rates in patients who underwent aggressive resection and neck dissection. Performance of neck dissection and younger age were associated with a favorable prognosis. Performance of neck dissection may decrease the risk of recurrence in primary SCCA of the buccal mucosa. Although through-and-through resection of skin decreased risk of disease recurrence, this difference is not statistically significant (P = .24).
Division of Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA. adeconde@mednet.ucla.edu
Adam
A
DeConde
Mia E
ME
Miller
Beth
B
Palla
Chi
C
Lai
David
D
Elashoff
Dinesh
D
Chhetri
Maie A
MA
St John
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000473:pathology*; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends