[The effect of tumor positive resection margins on the prognosis of squamous cell carcinoma of the mouth, pharynx and larynx].

A multifactorial analysis of the survival data of 800 patients with carcinoma of the oral cavity, pharynx, or larynx was performed using Cox's multiple regression model. Histological examination of the resection margins was available for 285 of 338 surgically treated patients. Tumour-free resection margins (i.e. histologically radical resection) correlate with a favourable outcome. Patients with residual tumour at the resection margins had a significantly poorer prognosis, despite the fact that all of them were subjected to postoperative radiation therapy.