Importance of lymph node ratio for locoregional recurrence of squamous cell carcinoma of the buccal mucosa.

BACKGROUND: There is no published study on the influence of lymph node ratio on locoregional recurrence of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the buccal mucosa. Therefore, we focused in our study on this specific anatomic subsite.

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 95 patients from 2003-2013 with treatment-naive SCC of the buccal mucosa. Exclusion criteria were neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy, perioperative death, N3 disease, unresectable disease, synchronous malignancy, and follow-up <3 months. Statistical analysis was performed using univariate and multivariate analysis.

RESULTS: Significant correlations were found between locoregional recurrence and pathologic N classification (P < .001), grading (P = .001), and lymph node ratio (P < .001). Multivariate analysis indicated lymph node ratio as an independent risk factor for locoregional recurrence (P = .002). A cutoff value under 7% led to a 10.383-fold higher risk of incurring a locoregional recurrence.

CONCLUSION: Lymph node ratio is a useful parameter to stratify the risk of locoregional recurrence in patients with SCC of the buccal mucosa.