Impact of AJCC 8 pT staging in cutaneous head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in a nonselected real-world patient sample.

OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to evaluate characteristics associated with worse survival and the effectiveness of AJCC 8 in a real-world cohort of HNCSCC from South Brazil. METHODS: A 10-year retrospective cohort study (2011-2020) at a tertiary care center comprising 647 HNCSCC excised from 435 patients. RESULTS: At multivariable analysis, ear/nose/zygomatic or periorbital site, compromised or exiguous margins, and advanced pT stage were independent factors associated to DFS, while age, pN, and loco-regional recurrence were independent factors associated to DSS. Cox-regression multivariable models showed that the pT stage was statistically significant for the DFS, but not DSS. A significant distinction was only observed between T1 and T2. CONCLUSION: It was only in the lower categories of AJCC 8 (T1 and T2) that we were able to demonstrate the ability to stratify tumors with a significant risk of poor disease-related outcomes.