Risk factors associated with prognosis in patients with osteoradionecrosis of the jaws: A single institutional experience over 15 years.

BACKGROUND

Osteoradionecrosis of the jaws (ORNJ) is a pernicious complication of radiation therapy that significantly affects the quality of life of patients with head and neck cancer. The present study aimed to investigate the risk factors for the clinical prognosis of ORNJ in the same scenario.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A cross-sectional study was designed and implemented in a tertiary teaching hospital from January 2005 to December 2020. A total of 106 patients were divided into normal wound healing group (n = 79) and delayed wound healing group (n = 27) according to two different prognosis. The risk factors associated with the prognosis in patients with ORNJ were comparatively analyzed via performing one-way and multifactorial logistic analyses.

RESULTS

The majority of the study cohort (n = 59, 55.7%) was found to be characterized with Glanzmann and Gratz grade 2 and followed up for a median of 38.6 months. Diabetes mellitus (P = .045), Charlson comorbidity index (P = .042), American Society of Anesthesiologists score (P < .001), primary tumour site (P = .012), T stage (P = .008), ORNJ grade at initial diagnosis (P < .001), pan-immune-inflammatory value and systemic immune-inflammatory index at initial radiotherapy (P = .01 and P < .001 respectively) were detected as risk factors associated with poor prognosis in patients with ORNJ.

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that there are abundant risk factors for poor prognosis in these patients, and it is important to be evaluated before irradiation so that suitable post-radiated treatments can be given.