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Objective: We examined process-related quality metrics for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) depending on treating facility type across a health system and region., Study Design: Retrospective in accordance with Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines., Setting: Single health system and region., Methods: Patients with OSCC diagnosed between 2012 and 2018 were identified from tumor registries of 6 hospitals (1 academic and 5 community) within a single health system. Patients were categorized into 3 care groups: (1) solely at the academic center, (2) solely at community facilities, and (3) combined care at academic and community facilities. Primary outcome measures were process-related quality metrics: positive surgical margin rate, lymph node yield (LNY), adjuvant treatment initiation ≤6 weeks, National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)-guideline adherence., Results: A total of 499 patients were included: 307 (61.5%) patients in the academic-only group, 101 (20.2%) in the community-only group, and 91 (18.2%) in the combined group. Surgery at community hospitals was associated with increased odds of positive surgical margins (11.9% vs 2.5%, odds ratio [OR]: 47.73, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 11.2-275.86, P < .001) and lower odds of LNY ≥ 18 (52.8% vs 85.9%, OR: 0.15, 95% CI: 0.07-0.33, P < .001) relative to the academic center. Compared with the academic-only group, odds of adjuvant treatment initiation ≤6 weeks were lower for the combined group (OR: 0.30, 95% CI: 0.13-0.64, P = .002) and odds of NCCN guideline-adherent treatment were lower in the community only group (OR: 0.35, 95% CI: 0.18-0.70, P = .003)., Conclusion: Quality of oral cancer care across the health system and region is comparable to or better-than national standards, indicating good baseline quality of care. Differences by facility type and fragmentation of care present an opportunity for bringing best in-class cancer care across an entire region., (© 2024 American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation.)

Objective(s): We aimed to develop a machine learning (ML) model to accurately predict the timing of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) recurrence across four 1-year intervals., Methods: Patients with surgically treated OSCC between 2012-2018 were retrospectively identified from the Yale-New Haven Health system tumor registry. Patients with known recurrence or minimum follow-up of 24 months from surgery were included. Patients were classified into one of five levels: four 1-year intervals and one level for no recurrence (within 4 years of surgery). Three sets of data inputs (comprehensive, feature selection, nomogram) were combined with 4 ML architectures (logistic regression, decision tree (DT), support vector machine (SVM), artificial neural network classifiers) yielding 12 models in total. Models were primarily evaluated using mean absolute error (MAE), lower values indicating better prediction of 1-year interval recurrence. Secondary outcomes included accuracy, weighted precision, and weighted recall., Results: 389 patients met inclusion criteria: 102 (26.2%) recurred within 48 months of surgery. Median follow-up time was 25 months (IQR: 15-37.5) for patients with recurrence and 44 months (IQR: 32-57) for patients without recurrence. MAE of 0.654% and 80.8% accuracy were achieved on a 15-variable feature selection input by 2 ML models: DT and SVM classifiers., Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first study to leverage multiclass ML models to predict time to OSCC recurrence. We developed a model using feature selection data input that reliably predicted recurrence within 1-year intervals. Precise modeling of recurrence timing has the potential to personalize surveillance protocols in the future to enhance early detection and reduce extraneous healthcare costs., Level of Evidence: 3 Laryngoscope, 133:1652-1659, 2023., (© 2022 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.)

Background: Oral cavity and oropharyngeal squamous cell cancers (OC-OPSCC) display high cancer-specific mortality and increased non-cancer mortality. We examined cause of death in patients treated for OC-OPSCC with brachytherapy, chemotherapy, external beam radiation, surgery, or combination of modalities. We hypothesized that brachytherapy does not increase non-cancer mortality comparably with external beam radiation., Methods: A database was constructed from institutional tumor registry and electronic medical record data from all patients with first OC-OPSCC diagnosis at our institution between 2000 and 2010, excluding patients with a second primary cancer at diagnosis. The primary outcome was association between treatment modality and non-cancer mortality., Results: Of 693 eligible patients, 460 were deceased; 84 from primary malignancy and 96 from a non-primary cancer cause, including 24 with a second primary cancer. 193 patients received brachytherapy. Cox proportional hazards regression was performed on treatment regimen, stratified by AJCC stage, race, and sex. Age, smoking history, and alcohol had HRs for death of 1.05 (p < 0.005), 1.37 (p = 0.106), and 2.24 (p < 0.005), respectively, while brachytherapy had a 0.53 HR (p < 0.005) for death. Non-smoking OPC patients had an 88% 5-year OS, suggesting these were largely HPV-driven cancers. In smoking OPC patients, 5-year OS was 61%. Non-cancer mortality HR of 0.36 for brachytherapy-treated patients., Conclusion: We report non-cancer mortality from a cohort of curatively treated OC-OPSCC and show a significant correlation between brachytherapy and non-cancer survival, independent of remission status. The impact of brachytherapy in OPC was strongest in smokers., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The eighth edition of the AJCC Cancer Staging Manual (AJCC 8) incorporates depth of invasion (DOI) into the pathologic tumor (pT) classification and pathologic extranodal extension (pENE) into the pathologic nodal (pN) classification for oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC). This study evaluated the incidence and prognostic importance of stage migration as a result of these changes in the AJCC 8 staging system., Methods: From the National Cancer Database, cohorts were identified from patients with OCSCC undergoing definitive surgery between 2004 and 2013 for pT (n = 7184), pN (n = 13,627), and pathologic stage (pStage) analysis (n = 5580)., Results: DOI and pENE were prognostic in all groups except for pN3 according to the seventh edition of the AJCC Cancer Staging Manual (AJCC 7). Upstaging was seen in 12.4% of patients for the pT classification, in 13.3% for the pN classification, and in 24.8% for the overall pStage grouping. Notably, upstaging led to similar or improved 5-year overall survival (OS) for every AJCC 8 pT/N classification except pStage IVB. Patients with AJCC 7 pT1 tumors that were upstaged to AJCC 8 pT3 tumors had improved OS in comparison with the remainder of the pT3 group (71.7% vs 43.7%; P < .0001). A multivariable analysis of upstaged pT3N0 patients demonstrated a reduced risk of death with the receipt of postoperative radiotherapy (PORT; hazard ratio, 0.56; 95% confidence interval, 0.33-0.95; P = .03)., Conclusions: Upstaging is common in AJCC 8, and patients with upstaged tumors demonstrate improved survival; these factors should be kept in mind when one is interpreting data with the new staging system. PORT may reduce deaths among newly upstaged pT3N0 patients, and further study is needed in this area., (© 2019 American Cancer Society.)

Objective: Oral cavity cancer is the most common malignant disease of the head and neck. The natural course of the disease is poorly characterized and unavailable for patient consideration during initial treatment planning. Our primary objective was to outline this natural history, with a secondary aim of identifying predictors of treatment refusal., Study Design: Retrospective review of adult patients with oral cavity cancer who refused surgery that was recommended by their physician in the National Cancer Database., Methods: Demographic, tumor, and survival variables were included in the analyses. Multivariate Cox regressions as well as univariate Kaplan-Meier analyses were conducted., Results: Patients who were older, uninsured, had government insurance, or had more advanced disease were more likely to go untreated. Survival among untreated patients was poor, but there was a small proportion of patients surviving long term. Five-year survival rates ranged from 31.1% among early-stage patients to 12.6% among stage 4 patients., Conclusion: Although the natural course of oral cavity cancer carries a poor prognosis, there are a number of patients with longer-than-expected survival. The survival estimates may provide supplemental information for patients deciding whether to pursue treatment. In addition to age and extent of disease, system factors such as insurance status and facility case volume are associated with a patient's likelihood of refusing treatment., Level of Evidence: 4. Laryngoscope, 128:664-669, 2018., (© 2017 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.)

Background: The 2017 National Comprehensive Cancer Network Clinical Practice Guidelines recommend surgical resection or definitive radiation therapy for early-stage oral cavity malignancies, and surgical resection or multimodality clinical trials for late-stage disease. Few studies have been conducted to identify predictors of choice of treatment modality for oral cavity malignancies., Methods: All patients in the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) diagnosed with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) between 1998 and 2011 were identified. Chi-square and binary logistic regression were used to identify factors predictive of surgical or nonsurgical treatment; multiple imputation was used for missing data. Cox proportional hazards models were generated to identify associations between treatment modality and overall survival (OS)., Results: Of 23,459 patients, 4139 (17.6%) underwent primary nonsurgical treatment. Among NCDB-registered facilities, there has been a decrease in use of nonsurgical treatment for OCSCC (OR 0.97, p<0.001). Older age, non-white race, Medicaid insurance, low income, low education, and later-stage disease were associated with nonsurgical therapy, while patients at academic/research programs were more likely to undergo surgery (OR 0.38, p<0.001). Nonsurgical treatment was associated with decreased OS (HR=2.02, p<0.001); this was upheld on subgroup analysis of early- and late-stage disease., Conclusions: Use of primary nonsurgical treatment for OCSCC has decreased over time among NCDB-registered facilities and is associated with factors related to access to care. Surgical resection for the primary treatment of oral cavity cancer may be associated with improved OS, though conclusions regarding survival are limited by the non-randomized nature of the data., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Treatment durations and factors associated with delays for oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) have previously been described but are not fully understood. Impact of delays on overall survival (OS) remains unclear., Methods: The National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) was used to analyze 4868 patients with oral cavity SCC from 1998 to 2011. Diagnosis-to-surgery, surgery-to-radiotherapy (RT) start , RT duration, total treatment package (surgery-to-RT end ), and diagnosis-to-RT end were evaluated. Associations between delays and various factors were analyzed using binary logistic regression. Associations with OS were analyzed using the Cox proportional hazards model., Results: Medians for diagnosis-to-surgery, surgery-to-RT start , RT duration, total treatment package, and diagnosis-to-RT end were 30, 50, 49, 101, and 136 days, respectively. Age ≥60 years, uninsured or Medicaid insurance, comorbidity, late pT, and treatment at an academic/research institution were associated with diagnosis-to-surgery delays. Only delays in RT duration were significantly associated with decreased OS (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.21; p = .02)., Conclusion: Numerous factors are associated with treatment delays. RT duration is significantly associated with OS. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: 639-646, 2017., (© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: Prognostic lymph node yield thresholds have been identified and incorporated into treatment guidelines for multiple cancer sites, but not for oral cancer. The objective of this study was to identify optimal thresholds in elective and therapeutic neck dissection for oral cavity cancers., Methods: Patients with oral cavity cancers in the National Cancer Database (NCDB) were stratified into clinically lymph node-negative (cN0) and clinically lymph node-positive (cN+) cohorts to reflect the differing surgical management for these diseases. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to assess the relation between lymph node yield and overall survival, adjusting for other prognostic factors. Thresholds derived from the NCDB were validated in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database., Results: In patients with cN0 cancers of the oral cavity from the NCDB, those who had <16 lymph nodes had significantly decreased survival. The proportion of positive lymph nodes was higher for patients who had ≥16 lymph nodes (27.2% vs 16.3% for < 16 lymph nodes; P < .001). This threshold was validated in 2715 lymph node-negative cancers from SEER, with a mortality hazard ratio of 0.825 for ≥ 16 lymph nodes (95% confidence interval, 0.764-0.950; P = .004). In patients with cN + oral cavity cancers from the NCDB, groups with <26 lymph nodes had significantly decreased survival. This threshold was validated in 1903 lymph node-positive cancers from SEER, with a mortality hazard ratio of 0.791 (95% confidence interval, 0.692-0.903; P = .001). Academic centers, higher volume centers, and geographic location predicted higher lymph node yields., Conclusions: More extensive neck dissection (≥16 lymph nodes in cN0, ≥ 26 lymph nodes in cN+) was associated with better survival. Further evaluation of practice patterns in lymph node yield may represent an opportunity for improved quality of care. Cancer 2016;122:3624-31. © 2016 American Cancer Society., (© 2016 American Cancer Society.)

Background: Oral cavity squamous cell cancer (SCC) is treated primarily with surgery. Rates of 30-day hospital readmission and mortality after surgery for oral cavity SCC are unknown., Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of postoperative 30-day unplanned readmission and mortality in patients with oral cavity SCC in the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB)., Results: Among 21,681 cases, the 30-day unplanned readmission rate was 3.2%, and the 30-day mortality rate was 1.0%. Male sex (odds ratio [OR] = 1.23; p = .02), stage T3 (OR = 1.55; p = .007), or T4 (OR = 1.52; p = .002), and neck dissection (OR = 1.37; p = .04) were independently associated with readmission. Age 76 to 85 years (OR = 4.80; p < .001), age >85 years (OR = 10.24; p < .001), comorbidity index ≥1 (OR = 2.31; p < .001), and stage T3 (OR = 3.02; p < .001) or T4 (OR = 3.24; p < .001) were associated with 30-day mortality., Conclusion: Interventions aimed at decreasing hospital readmissions should target high-risk patients identified here. Factors associated with 30-day mortality reflect risk factors for overall mortality. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: E221-E226, 2016., (© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Importance: Most patients with oral cavity squamous cell cancer (OCSCC) are initially seen at an early stage (I and II). Although patient and tumor prognostic features have been analyzed extensively, population-level data examining how variations in treatment factors impact survival are lacking to date., Objective: To analyze associations between treatment variables and survival in stages I and II oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma., Design, Setting, and Participants: Retrospective study of cases in the National Cancer Data Base. Patients diagnosed as having stage I or II OCSCC between January 1, 2003, and December 31, 2006, and treated with surgery were identified. Univariate and multivariable analyses of overall survival based on patient, disease, and treatment characteristics were conducted., Main Outcomes and Measures: Overall survival and survival at 5 years., Results: In total, 6830 patients were included. Survival at 5 years was 69.7% (4760 patients). On univariate analysis, treatment factors associated with improved survival included treatment at academic or research institutions, no radiation therapy, no chemotherapy, and negative margins (P < .001 for all). Neck dissection was associated with improved survival (P = .001), reflecting pathologic restaging and elimination of patients with occult nodal disease. Patients treated at academic or research institutions were more likely to receive neck dissection and less likely to receive radiation therapy or have positive margins. On multivariable analysis, neck dissection (hazard ratio [HR], 0.85; 95% CI, 0.76-0.94; P = .003) and treatment at academic or research institutions (HR, 0.88; 95% CI, 1.01-1.26; P = .03) were associated with improved survival, whereas positive margins (HR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.08-1.49; P = .005), insurance through Medicare (HR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.25-1.69; P < .001) or Medicaid (HR, 1.96; 95% CI, 1.60-2.39; P < .001), and adjuvant radiation therapy (HR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.16-1.49; P < .001) or adjuvant chemotherapy (HR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.03-1.75; P = .03) were associated with compromised survival., Conclusions and Relevance: Prognostic impacts of treatment factors in early OCSCC are presented. Overall survival for early OCSCC varies with demographic and tumor characteristics but also varies with treatment and system factors, which may represent targets for improving outcomes in this disease.

Objective: To report the incidence of positive surgical margins in early oral cavity cancer and identify patient, tumor, and system factors associated with their occurrence., Study Design and Setting: Retrospective analysis of the National Cancer Database., Subjects and Methods: Patients diagnosed with stage I or II oral cavity squamous cell cancer between 1998 and 2011 were identified. Univariate and multivariate analyses of factors associated with positive margins were conducted., Results: In total, 20,602 patients with early oral cancer were identified. Margin status was reported in 94.8% of cases, and positive margins occurred in 7.5% of those cases. Incidence of positive margins by institution varied from 0% to 43.8%, with median incidence of 7.1%. Positive margins were associated with clinical factors including stage II disease (odds ratio [OR], 1.75; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.55-1.98), intermediate grade (OR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.04-1.37), high grade (OR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.39-2.03), and floor of mouth (OR, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.52-2.08), buccal mucosa (OR, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.59-2.68), and retromolar locations (OR, 2.40; 95% CI, 1.85-3.11). Positive margins were also associated with treatment at nonacademic cancer centers (OR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.04-1.44) and institutions with a low oral cancer case volume (OR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.23-1.69)., Conclusion: Positive margins are associated with tumor factors, including stage, grade, and site, reflecting disease aggressiveness and difficulty of resection. Positive margins also are associated with factors such as treatment facility type, hospital case volume, and geographic region, suggesting potential variation in quality of care. Margin status may be a useful quality measure for early oral cavity cancer., (© American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Foundation 2014.)