Evaluation of oncological outcomes in patients with oral cavity cancer treated in a lowvolume hospital

Introduction: Oral cavity cancer (OCC) is one of the 10 most common types of tumors in the world. Surgical resection is the most indicated initial treatment, followed by adjuvant therapy, depending on tumor stage. A few studies have suggested that patients treated in high-volume hospitals present better oncologic outcomes; however, particularly in continental countries, some patients are treated in regional hospitals. Objective: To evaluate the results of OCC patients treated in low-volume regional hospitals. Methods: This is a retrospective longitudinal study conducted with patients diagnosed with OCC and operated on in a low-volume hospital between January 2003 and December 2018. Results: 174 patients with OCC were treated at the institution - an average of 11 patients/year. The most common tumor location was the tongue (48.2%), followed by the lip (18.2%). Squamous cell carcinomas were the most frequent (94.7% of patients). Adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy were performed in 46.7 and 31.9% of patients, respectively. Almost 21% of patients had some postoperative complication. Specific survival of 62.6% and global survival of 58.2% after 3 years were similar to the results reported in high-volume centers. Disease-free survival was 45.8% in the same period. Conclusion: Low-volume hospitals qualified for oncological treatments can present outcomes similar to those of high-volume centers, and are thus a regional option for patients with OCC.