Upfront Surgery Vs Induction Chemotherapy Followed by Surgery in Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Cancers with Advanced Nodal Disease (survic Trial): A Phase 3 Multicentric Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Most oral cancer in India is present in advanced stage and tends to have poor oncological outcomes. Chemotherapy has been associated with improved oncological outcomes in various cancers, but its role in oral cancer is still not well defined in curative settings beyond radio sensitization. Despite an excellent response rate, attempted Neoadjuvant chemotherapy trials failed to show oncological advantage. Earlier studies suffered by their heterogenous patient population, including all head and neck subsites, and included both inoperable cancer/ early-stage operable cases. Due to such patient selection, the intended results were never met. Patients with biologically aggressive diseases are more likely to benefit. Hence we want to find out the oncological advantage of adding induction chemotherapy to oral squamous cell cancer with advanced nodal disease (N2-N3).