Distinctive clinical and microscopic features of squamous cell carcinoma of oral cavity and lip

Abstract

This study was undertaken to gain insight into the distinctive features of squamous cell carcinoma of the lip (LSCC) and oral cavity (OCSCC). A total of 37 cases of LSCC and 54 of OCSCC were compared regarding clinical and microscopic findings. Predominance of head and neck TNM stages (HNTNM) T1-T2 in LSCC and T3-T4 in OCSCC was observed. A significant percentage (33.3%) of patients with OCSCC at HNTNM T1-T2 presented cervical lymph node metastasis and 18.75% died, whereas lymph node metastasis was absent and no patient died with LSCC at HNTNM T1-T2. LSCC demonstrated a higher number of cases with intense peritumoral inflammatory infiltrate compared with OCSCC. The analysis of the proliferative index demonstrated a significantly higher percentage of PCNA+ and Ki-67+ cells in OCSCC compared with LSCC. Our results suggest that OCSCC and LSCC demonstrate distinct clinical and microscopic characteristics that reflect different biologic behavior and prognosis.