Influence of interval between biopsy and surgery on prognosis of patients with early-stage oral squamous cell carcinoma: A preliminary study

Abstract Objective Recent studies have suggested that preoperative interventions such as tooth extraction, incision and curettage may be associated with poor prognosis in patients with oral malignancies. Although biopsy is another preoperative intervention, its influence on the prognosis of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) has remained unclear. We investigated the prognosis of stage I and II OSCC patients, with special reference to the influence of the interval between biopsy and surgery. Materials and methods The cases of 47 patients diagnosed with primary early-stage (T1 or T2N0M0) OSCC were reviewed retrospectively. Results Primary surgery was performed ≤21 days after biopsy for 17 patients, and >21 days after biopsy for 30 patients. Incidence of local recurrence or delayed cervical lymph node metastasis was significantly higher among the long-interval group (p = 0.03). Patients with local or neck failure displayed a significantly longer interval (33.6 days) than patients who were stable (21.9 days; p  Conclusion Treatment delay can worsen the prognosis of patients with early-stage OSCC by increasing the incidence of local and neck failure. Prompt treatment after biopsy is thus recommended to optimize the outcomes.