Distant metastases in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of oral cavity

—Analysis of critical factors that influence development of distant metastasis with locoregional control—

Abstract

To find predictive indicators for distant metastasis, clinico-pathological findings in patients with squmous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity were investigated.
Records of 535 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, treated in our departments between 1974 and 1995, were reviewed. One hundred eight patients with locoregional failure were excluded in this study. Of the 427 patients locoregionally controlled, 112 cases were found to have pathologically positive neck nodes, and the others had clinically and/or pathologically negative nodes. The incidence of distant metastasis in these group were 22.3% and 1.6%, respectively. There was a significant difference in the incidence between the two groups (p< .001) . Therefore, the presence of neck node metastasis was found to be one of the critical factors that influence the development of distant metastasis.
In order to find additional critical factors for distant metastasis, clinico-pathological findings in 112 patients were investigated by multivariate analysis. According to multiple logistic regression analysis, odds ratio of the level was 3.960. Lower neck involvement may be a decisive factor in a patient treated aggressively.