Evaluation of survival rate in patients with tongue squamous cell carcinoma: a retrospective single-center study.

Abstract

Background: The tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) is a highly prevalent form of oral squamous cell carcinoma with poor prognosis and aggressive behavior. The present study aimed to evaluate the association between tumor grade, clinical stage, and survival outcomes in patients with TSCC..

Methodology: Patients with a history of having TSCC, complete clinical and demographic data (age and gender), and a through clinical and histopathological follow-up period of six months were included. The overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) of the participants were determined.Histopathological grade was assessed as a secondary objective. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed, and data analysis was conducted using the Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank test and a multivariable Cox regression model.

Results: A total number of 162 patients were included with the mean age of 59.6 ± 15.7 years. The majority of the patients (53.1%) were women. Most patients were classified as Grade I (37.7%) and Stage I (46.3%). The local recurrence and metastasis rates were 12.3% and 4.3%, respectively. The median OS and DFS of the patients included 46 ± 7.8 months and 36 ± 5.7 months, respectively. Five-year OS and DFS rates of 41.5% and 36%. No significant correlation was found between OS and DFS with patients' gender or histological grade. However, OS and DFS were inversely related to the clinical stage and age, showing statistical significance (P < 0.05). Additionally, OS was significantly influenced by tumor size, lymph node involvement, and metastasis (P < 0.05). Factors such as tumor size, lymph node involvement, clinical stage, and patient age significantly impacted OS (P < 0.05). In contrast, lymph node involvement, clinical stage, and patient age were significantly associated with DFS (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: Clinical factors including tumor size, lymph node involvement, clinical stage, and patient age were associated with OS. All these variables were also associated with DFS, except for tumor size. The histopathological grade was not influential on OS or DFS.