Pretreatment trismus as a predictor for overall survival and disease-free survival in oral cancer

Background: Trismus is the restricted mouth opening in oral cancer patients which can affect the patient’s quality of life and so the survival outcomes. Once the treatment is completed, survival outcome of the patients is considered as the major determinant of treatment success. Objectives: In present study, we aimed towards establishing the pretreatment trismus as a predictor of overall long-term survival and disease-free survival in the oral cancer patients. Methods: For this, 38 oral cancer patients with restricted mouth opening were recruited in the study. The trismus was assessed before the surgery using digital Vernier Caliper. The patients were then followed ups for survival outcomes over the period of 5 years. The survival outcomes were then correlated with the pretreatment trismus. Results: : The overall long-term survival and disease-free survival was significantly higher in patients having low grade trismus. Patients with high grade of trismus experienced early treatment relapse and high mortality. Conclusions: : Pretreatment trismus was found to be a potential predictor of disease-free survival and overall long-term survival in oral cancer. It is recommended that treatment protocol which could reduce the trismus should be adopted to enhance the survival outcomes of the oral cancer patients.