Publication:

Risk factors in oral carcinoma and the relationship between tumor thickness and regional nodal involvement: a pilot study in a semi urban population in New Delhi, India

Background Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a major public health problem worldwide, with approximately 275,000 cases annually and a strong association with risk factors like smoking. It is a subtype of head & neck cancer involving the oral cavity.  The present study evaluated the role of various risk factors in the development of oral carcinoma among our patient population.

Methods A total of 40 cases of oral carcinoma with radical neck dissection were evaluated. Data on the age, personal history and presenting clinical features were analyzed. The depth of the tumor and the maximum tumor thickness were carefully evaluated. Also, pathological T-stage, the presence/absence of vascular and peri-neural infiltration was evaluated in each case. The presence of nodal metastases and the stage of the tumor was assessed. Data was tabulated and correlation of nodal metastasis with tumor thickness, pathological T-stage, vascular invasion, and peri-neural infiltration was evaluated by appropriate statistical analysis method.

Results A total of 40 cases, 82.5% males and 17.5% females, were all smokers with history of consumption of smoking or smokeless or both. Tongue was the most common site of oral carcinoma (37.5%) involvement, histological characterization of all were Squamous cell carcinoma with majority of the patients in pathological stage II. A significant association between the tumor thickness and metastasis was also seen.

Conclusions The tumor thickness of oral squamous cell carcinoma was found to be an important prognostic indicator for the occurrence of metastases to the regional cervical lymph nodes.