PROGNOSTIC FACTORS OF SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA IN HARD PALATE, GINGIVA, AND UPPER ALVEOLAR RIDGE

Abstract

<h3>Objectives</h3> Evaluate the sociodemographic profile, treatment, and prognostic factors of patients with oral squamous cell carcinomas of the hard palate, gingiva, and upper alveolar ridge (HPGUAR). <h3>Study Design</h3> This is a cohort study. Data were collected from patients of 2 head and neck surgery departments between 1999 and 2020. Clinicodemographic data, habits, site, size, clinical aspect, clinical staging, cervical metastasis, treatment, histologic features, margin status, and survival were collected. <h3>Results</h3> Forty-one patients were included. Among these, 61% were men with a mean age of 68.84 years (±13.9), smokers (46.3%), and nondrinkers (36.6%). The majority of cases were ulcers in the hard palate (51.2%), T4 (34.1%), N0 (63.4%), M0 (90.2%) in advanced clinical staging (51.2%). Surgery without adjuvant or neoadjuvant therapy was the most common treatment (48.8%). The "watch and wait strategy" for N0 tumors was adopted in 82.9% of cases. Four patients presented cervical metastases in follow-up (9.8%). Five patients died from the disease. The association between cervical metastasis and death was significant (<i>P</i> < .05). There was no association between cervical metastasis and other clinicodemographic variables. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Tumors in HPGUAR had a good response to surgical treatment and low index of cervical metastasis. Cervical metastasis was associated with death.