Survival benefits of adjuvant radiation in the management of early tongue cancer with depth of invasion as the indication

Background With the introduction of new American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) classifications for head and neck cancers few cases are upgraded from T2 to T3 based only on depth of invasion. The role of adjuvant therapy in this particular subset of patients is still not defined. Methods This is a retrospective analysis of data from 2009 to 2015, of patients with histopathology of pT1, T2, and N0. A total of 375 patients were subdivided into 3 groups per the new AJCC classification depth of invasion 10 mm. Survival analyses of patients receiving adjuvant therapy and those who did not were compared with specific emphasis on patients who were upstaged from T2 to T3 based on depth of invasion. Results Depth of invasion is a poor prognostic factor and addition of adjuvant therapy based on depth of invasion did not have significant survival benefits. Conclusion Addition of adjuvant therapy based on depth of invasion does not influence survival in patients with early carcinoma of the tongue.