The status of the deep surgical margins in tongue and floor of mouth squamous cell carcinoma and risk of local recurrence; an analysis of 68 patients

Abstracts on this page have been chosen and edited by Dr Trevor Watts

Abstract

A margin of 0.5 cm was as effective as greater margins in limiting local recurrence.

Main

Weijers M, Snow GB et al. Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2004; 33: 143–149

After resection of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), positive surgical margins lead to a high risk of local recurrence and reduced survival. Over a 10 yr period, 176 patients with were treated in a Dutch hospital for SCC of the tongue and floor of mouth. Those with epithelial dysplasia in margins, or SCC, and others receiving radiotherapy or surgery within 5 yrs were excluded, leaving 68 with margins free of tumour, who were then followed 5 yrs.

In 30 patients with margins > 0.5 cm, 2 SCCs recurred, and in 38 with smaller margins, 3 recurred (NS). The authors state that because of shrinkage during histopathological specimen preparation, 0.5 cm equates to a surgical margin of about 0.8–1.0 cm. There was no relationship between local recurrence and the pattern of invasion or the presence of perineural spread.