Does lymphovascular invasion predict survival in oral cancer? A population-based analysis

•Lymphovascular invasion occurs in 20% of oral cavity squamous cell carcinomas.•Lymphovascular invasion predicted reduced two- and five-year survival rates.•Addition of chemoradiotherapy to surgery improves survival rates in these patients. To evaluate lymphovascular invasion as an independent predictor for overall survival in patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma. Retrospective cohort study. Multi-center, population-based facilities reporting to the National Cancer Database registry. The database was accessed to collect data on patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma. A multivariate cox proportional hazards model was used to analyze the association between presence of lymphovascular invasion and overall survival. 16,992 patients met inclusion criteria. 3,457 patients had lymphovascular invasion. The mean follow-up was 32 ± 19 months. Lymphovascular invasion predicted reduced 2-year overall survival (relative hazard 1.29, 95% CI: 1.20, 1.38, p