Cohort study of survival impact of delay of adjuvant radiotherapy among patients with oral cavity cancer

Oral cavity cancer (OCC) often requires multidisciplinary management, subjecting patients to complex therapeutic trajectories with prolonged treatment intervals. A Canadian multicenter cohort study including 1368 OCC patients found that 80% of patients had prolonged times to initiation of postoperative radiation therapy (greater than 42 days). Delays in initiation of postoperative radiation therapy were associated with worse disease-free and overall survival. The authors conclude that efforts should be directed toward achieving timely initiation of postoperative radiotherapy for OCC, as this may represent an effective strategy for improving oncologic outcomes.