Influence of time interval from diagnosis to treatment on survival for oral cavity cancer: A nationwide cohort study

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to explore the relationship between the time interval from diagnosis to treatment and survival of oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A population-based study was conducted between 2004 and 2010. Claims data of oral squamous cell carcinoma patients were retrieved from the Taiwan Cancer Registry Database. Secondary data were obtained from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database. RESULTS: A total of 21,263 patients were included in the final analysis. The majority of the patients received treatment within 30 days of diagnosis (n = 18,193, 85.5%), while 572 patients (2.7%) underwent treatment after 120 days. The patients who were treated after 120 days had a higher risk of death when compared to those treated within 30 days (Hazard ratio: 1.32, 95% Confidence intervals: 1.19 to 1.47). CONCLUSION: A longer time interval from diagnosis to treatment was found to be associated with a poorer prognosis among patients suffering from oral squamous cell carcinoma.