The tissue shrinkage phenomenon on surgical margins in oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma

Aim: One of the most important factors associated with recurrence rate and overall survival is the status of surgical margin of resection free of disease. However, sometimes, the margins measured intra-operatively at the time of surgery differ of those measured by the pathologist in the histopathologic analysis. Faced with this dilemma, a literature review of the best available evidence was conducted in an attempt to determine how the phenomenon of tissue shrinkage may influence on the surgical margin of resection in patients undergoing oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Methods: An electronic and manual search was conducted by one reviewer. A combination of controlled Medical Subjects Headings and keywords were used as search strategy. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were established. Results: Finally, after an exhaustive selection process, four articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. All articles reported a decrease of surgical margin after resection. The tumor site and tumor stage seem to influence in degree of margin shrinkage. Conclusion: Tissue shrinkage on surgical margins of resection in oral SCC is a tangible phenomenon. There is a significant discrepancy between margins measured intraoperatively previous to resection and margins measured by pathologist after histologic processing. The highest percentage of retraction occurs at the time of resection. Margin shrinkage based on tumor site and tumor stage should be considered by any oncologic surgeon to ensure adequate margins of resection cleared of tumor.