The purpose of the present study was to investigate the role of tumor volume in the prognosis of patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

One hundred twenty-three patients with T4a oral cavity SCCs underwent surgical treatment. The volumes of the primary cancer were calculated by the multiplication of 3 macroscopic dimensions of the surgical specimen and related to recurrence and death.

There were 54 recurrences (43.9%) and 75 deaths (60.9%). The mean tumor volume among the patients living without disease during the follow-up period was 28.2 cc, compared to 88.2 cc for patients living with disease, and to 78.9 cc for patients who died of the disease (p < .001). Multivariate analyses showed that volume and perineural invasion were independent factors for recurrence, whereas volume and lymph node metastasis were independent factors for death.

Among patients who already have advanced cancers, tumor volume can significantly impact their prognoses. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: 960-964, 2017.