Analysis of survival and factors associated with oral cancer

Financial support: None. Conflicts of interest: No conflicts of interest declared concerning the publication of this article. Submitted: September 18, 2018. Accepted: February 21, 2019. The study was carried out at Liga Mossoroense de Estudos e Combate ao Câncer (LMECC), Mossoró, RN, Brasil. Abstract Introduction: Oral cancer accounts for 5.2% of all malignancies in men in Brazil, and is considered the most common cancer of the head and neck (H&N) region, excluding skin cancer. Despite the diagnostic and therapeutic advances in the oncology area, disease-free survival is still low. Objective: To describe and analyze patient survival and the factors associated with oral cancer. Methods: A retrospective, observational study was conducted through analysis of the medical charts of H&N cancer patients assisted at the Mossoro League of Cancer Research and Combat (LMECC) from 2006 to 2015. The data were analyzed by exploratory descriptive statistics. Survival was described using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: There was predominance of men (59.7%), with a mean age of 65 years, Caucasians (56.6%), farmers (52.0%) from Mossoró (RN), Brazil (66.7%), and smokers (88.4%). In the majority of cases, tumor occurred in the tongue (52.6%), at an advanced stage (73.6%), and was first treated predominantly with surgery (69.6%). Mean survival time of the patients was 2524 days, and was lower in patients with lymph node metastasis and in those submitted to nonsurgical treatment. Mortality rate was 45.5%. Conclusion: The high rates of mortality and advanced stage patients indicate late diagnosis, which reflects the need for preventive actions, training of health professionals, and improved access to the health system.