• S A Liu, C C Wang, R S Jiang, W Y Wang, and J C Lin.
• Department of Otolaryngology, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
• Br J Surg. 2018 Jan 1; 105 (2): e142-e149.

BackgroundA histological, tumour-free surgical margin does not guarantee recurrence-free survival in patients with cancer. This study investigated the association between microsatellite alteration in tumour-free surgical margins and local recurrence in patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma.MethodsPatients with histologically confirmed oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma were enrolled in this prospective study. Cancerous specimens, corresponding surgical margins and peripheral blood were obtained. Microsatellite alteration was investigated using six dinucleotide microsatellite markers. All samples were amplified by PCR, followed by automatic fragment analysis.ResultsMicrosatellite alteration was identified in 100 specimens (69·0 per cent) from 145 patients. Among them, 85 specimens carried loss of heterozygosity, whereas 55 had microsatellite instability (MSI). Patients with MSI at the surgical margin had a higher risk of local recurrence on multivariable analysis (odds ratio 7·17, 95 per cent c.i. 3·49 to 14·73).ConclusionMolecular assessment of surgical margins can help identify patients at risk of local recurrence.© 2018 BJS Society Ltd Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

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