Factors predicting the development of distant metastases in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: A retrospective study from a single centre.

the initial treatment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is associated with a poor outcome. The incidence of DMs in head and neck cancer is about 4-26%. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of distant metastases and the factors predicting the development of DMs. Methods: Between January 2000 and December 2010, 292 patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma were included in this study. Results: Thirty three patients (11.3%) developed local recurrences, 27 patients (9.2%) developed DMs. The median post DMs survival was 23.4 months (range 1.8-229.1). The factors that significantly increased the risk of DMs were the presence of local recurrence (p=0.0001, OR:17.32, 95% CI:4.86-19.90), pathologically positive neck (p=0.008, OR:5.97, 95% CI: 3.25-10.45), and primary tumor localized in oral cavity or lip (p=0.035, OR:2.6, 95% CI:1.43-4.65). Conclusion: Patients with these factors should be considered candidates for adjuvant systemic treatment and evaluated for early detection of DMs during follow-up.