An Analysis of Distant Metastases in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

Metastases to distant organs are well known to be factors influencing prognosis in patients with oral cancer. Therefore, it is very important to detect the metastasis of cancer as early as possible and to investigate the factors associated with the mechanism of metastasis. This study evaluated the risk of distant metastasis by the degree of histological malignancy among 59 patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) who were treated at our department during the past five years. The degree of histological malignancy of initial biopsy specimens was evaluated by Anneroth's classification and its relationship with metastasis was analyzed. Distant metastasis occurred in 7 of 59 patients (11.9%) and was located predominantly in the lung and bone. There was a significant correlation between the degree of histological malignancy and distant metastasis (P<0.05); however, there was no significant difference between T classification and metastasis in the distant organs. It is considered that histological malignancy is useful for predicting the prognosis and deciding additional treatments for oral SCC. When a total score on histological malignancy grading exceeds 14, metastasis in the distant organs should be carefully considered.