We investigated the charts of 129 patients treated for oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Cologne, between 1995 and 2004. Only patients treated preoperatively with combined radio-chemotherapy (carboplatin/39.6 Gy) were included. The purpose of the present study was to show the therapeutic outcome and the survival rates for this regimen. The mean age of the patients was 56.6 years. Male patients outnumbered female patients by 3:1. The floor of the mouth was the most common location (48.1%), and three out of four tumours (76.7%) had a G2 grading, while 82.9% were keratinized. Grade T4 was most the common (53.4%), and all patients were operated after preoperative treatment. In 82.2% of the cases, there were no tumour cells detectable microscopically (R0). In 34.1% there were viable tumour cells in the cervical lymph nodes, whereas in 66.7% these cells were found in the primary tumour despite preoperative treatment. A total of 38.8% of patients showed a recurrence of SCC. Mean survival was 4.8 years and 5 year survival 46.6%. The overall survival time of the disease was significantly influenced by pT (P=0.004), pN (P>0.001), R0 resections (P=0.0002), viable tumour cells in lymph node metastasis (P=0.0001), viable tumour cells in the primary (P=0.0004) and recurrence of the disease (P>0.001). In comparison to the current literature, no improvements in prognosis and survival of oral squamous cell carcinoma could be observed.