The incidence and risk factors for early death among patients with oral tongue squamous cell carcinomas

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study is to evaluate the early mortality rate and associated factors for early death in oral tongue squamous cell carcinomas (OTSCC) patients. METHODS: Patients with OTSCC were extracted from the SEER database between 2004 and 2014. The early death (survival time≤3 months) rate was calculated, and associated risk factors were evaluated by the logistic regression models. RESULTS: A total of 7756 patients were analysed and 282 (3.6%) patients died within 3 months after cancer diagnosis, among whom 214 (2.8%) patients died from cancer-specific cause. In univariate analyses, advanced age, divorced/single/widowed (DSW), higher histological grades, black, advanced T stage, advanced N stage, distant metastasis and no surgery were significantly associated with all-causes and cancer-specific early death. Multivariate analyses showed that advanced age, DSW, advanced T stage, advanced N stage, distant metastasis, and no surgery were significantly associated with all-cause and cancer-specific early death. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that a total of 3.6% patients with OTSCC suffered early death. Predictors of early death are primarily related to age older than 60 years, advanced T stage, advanced N stage, distant metastasis and no surgery but also include unmarried status, but better prognostic and predictive tools in larger sample to select early death patients are needed.