We focused on a cohort of radiation naïve patients who had recurrent oral cavity cancer (recurrent OCC) to assess their outcomes with salvage multimodal therapy.

A retrospective single institutional study was performed of patients with recurrent OCC. Disease recurrence and survival outcomes were assessed.

Seventy-eight patients were analyzed. All patients had salvage surgery and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and 74% had chemotherapy. Five-year overall survival, recurrence-free survival, and locoregional control rates were 59%, 60%, and 74%, respectively.

Outcomes of radiation naïve patients with recurrent OCC are fair, and seem similar with patients with locally advanced nonrecurrent OCC treated with multimodal therapy. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: 633-638, 2017.