The crucial question: does adjuvant radiotherapy confer a survival benefit in pN1 oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC)? - A retrospective analysis.
- 1Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany. [email protected].
- 2Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Campus Virchow-Klinikum, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany.
- 3Department of Radiation Oncology and Radiotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353, Berlin, Germany.
Abstract
Objective
Despite continuous research on the role of adjuvant therapy in the pN1 setting in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC), clear recommendations for or against its use remain lacking. The objective of this study is to further strengthen the existing evidence base and support informed clinical decision-making.Materials and methods
This retrospective analysis included all patients with primary pT1-2 pN1 OSCC without extracapsular spread who underwent surgical treatment at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin. Survival analyses were performed using Kaplan-Meier methods and Cox regression models for the overall cohort as well as after propensity score matching (PSM).Results
A total of 58 patients (male: 34 (58.6%), female: 24 (41.4%)) with a mean age of 63.6 years were included. In the overall cohort, there were no significant differences in overall survival (OS) or recurrence free survival (RFS) between patients treated with surgery alone and those who received adjuvant therapy (p = 0.628; p = 0.244). In contrast, following PSM, adjuvant therapy was associated with a reduced risk of recurrence, as reflected by improved RFS (HR 0.21 (CI: 0.02-0.85, p = 0.029)).Conclusion
In summary, our findings suggest an association between adjuvant therapy and improved RFS in patients with T1-2 pN1 OSCC, indicating a potential oncological benefit that should be considered in the context of individual clinical characteristics and balanced against potential treatment-related adverse effects.
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BibTeX
@article{richter2026crucial,
title = {{The crucial question: does adjuvant radiotherapy confer a survival benefit in pN1 oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC)? - A retrospective analysis.}},
author = {Maximilian Richter and Aleksandra Tworek and Steffen Koerdt and Max Heiland and Leonard Knoedler and Daniel Zips and Marcus Beck and Friedrich Mrosk},
journal = {Oral and maxillofacial surgery},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1007/s10006-026-01654-1},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42919978},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The crucial question: does adjuvant radiotherapy confer a survival benefit in pN1 oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC)? - A retrospective analysis.
AU - Maximilian Richter
AU - Aleksandra Tworek
AU - Steffen Koerdt
AU - Max Heiland
AU - Leonard Knoedler
AU - Daniel Zips
AU - Marcus Beck
AU - Friedrich Mrosk
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/24
JO - Oral and maxillofacial surgery
DO - 10.1007/s10006-026-01654-1
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42919978
AB - Objective Despite continuous research on the role of adjuvant therapy in the pN1 setting in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC), clear recommendations for or against its use remain lacking. The objective of this study is to further strengthen the existing evidence base and support informed clinical decision-making.Materials and methods This retrospective analysis included all patients with primary pT1-2 pN1 OSCC without extracapsular spread who underwent surgical treatment at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin. Survival analyses were performed using Kaplan-Meier methods and Cox regression models for the overall cohort as well as after propensity score matching (PSM).Results A total of 58 patients (male: 34 (58.6%), female: 24 (41.4%)) with a mean age of 63.6 years were included. In the overall cohort, there were no significant differences in overall survival (OS) or recurrence free survival (RFS) between patients treated with surgery alone and those who received adjuvant therapy (p = 0.628; p = 0.244). In contrast, following PSM, adjuvant therapy was associated with a reduced risk of recurrence, as reflected by improved RFS (HR 0.21 (CI: 0.02-0.85, p = 0.029)).Conclusion In summary, our findings suggest an association between adjuvant therapy and improved RFS in patients with T1-2 pN1 OSCC, indicating a potential oncological benefit that should be considered in the context of individual clinical characteristics and balanced against potential treatment-related adverse effects.
SN - 1865-1550
SN - 1865-1569
ER -