Possible Prognostic Value of Histopathologic Parameters in Patients with Carcinoma of the Oral Tongue

The current TNM staging system is helpful but still not enough to accurately determine prognosis of the patients with squamous cell carcinomas of the oral tongue. Histopathologic variables, however, may be more helpful for predicting nodal metastasis and locoregional recurrences. In this respect, histopathologic examinations were done retrospectively of tumor specimens from 60 patients with squamous cell carcinomas of the oral tongue. Besides T-stage and nodal involvement, histopathologic parameters of tumor thickness, perineural invasion, lymphovascular space invasion, the extent of lymphocyte infiltration and the invasion pattern statistically correlated with locoregional recurrences. For nodal metastasis, tumor thickness of 10 mm or more and the type of invasion pattern were statistically significant. These results revealed that the variables described should be used for managing oral tongue cancers.