Analysis of postoperative complications of oral cavity cancer: A cohort study

Background: Oral cancer treatment consists of surgical resection, neck dissection and reconstruction. Postoperative complications influence overall surgical outcome, increase costs and hospital stay. Methods: A cohort study of 140 patients operated for oral cavity cancer, was undertaken. Patients were evaluated for 7 complications within the 30 day postoperative period. Complications included wound dehiscence, wound infection, partial flap loss, total flap loss, orocutaneous, wound bleeding and chyle leak. Results: Overall complication rate was 45% [n ​= ​63]. Most noted complication was wound dehiscence [30.71%]. Risk factors assessed were age, sex, stage of the lesion and flap used. Staging of the disease and reconstruction flap used were found to have statistically significant association with incidence of complications [p value ​< ​0.05]. Conclusion: We concluded that on an average, our overall rates were similar to other rates reported in literature. We also found that advanced stage and flap are significant factors in occurrence of complications for oral cavity cancer. Prompt recognition of risk factors for complications based on pre-operative clinical characteristics and identification of the risks associated with the surgical procedure is very essential.