Validation of the eighth edition AJCC staging system in early T1 to T2 oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: To validate the newly proposed American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) eighth edition staging in early T1 and T2 oral cavity cancers and its effect in predicting tumour control.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of treatment outcomes of 441 T1 to T2 oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and tumour control were calculated and compared between the AJCC 7 and 8 staging systems.