Clinical behavior and results of current therapeutic modalities for squamous cell carcinoma of the buccal mucosa.

A retrospective analysis of 28 patients who received therapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the buccal mucosa at the Massachusetts General Hospital from January 1962 through December 1976 is presented. The patients ranged in age from 42 to 78 years; the majority of patients presented with disease at 50 years or more. The proportion of females in this series (43 per cent) represented a dramatic increase compared with previous reports from other large centers. The 29 per cent rate of metachronous or synchronous second primary malignant disease is increased significantly over that expected for the general population. Uncontrolled disease above the clavicle continues to be the major site of therapeutic failure. The development of co-operative multicenter randomized prospective protocols to evaluate the efficacy of various combinations of current therapy methods in order to improve patient survival from this devastating disease are encouraged.