Prognostic role of tumor budding in oral squamous cell carcinoma: a retrospective study

Abstract

Background Tumor budding is defined as a single cell or a cluster of up to five tumor cells at the invasion front of all oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cases. Tumor budding is considered as a marker of many important events in oral carcinoma, including the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, invasion, metastasis, and for further prognosis. Methods A total of 30 clinically and histopathologically diagnosed cases of OSCC were retrieved from the archival of the Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology. After assessing the sections for the presence of tumor budding (TB), it is further categorized into high-intensity TB and low-intensity TB. Results We found a strong association between lymph node metastasis and histopathological grading in the current study. There was no association between TB and a patient’s survival rate. Conclusions This study emphasizes the significance of tumor budding, its relevance to prognosis, and reproducibility, as well as the significance of its evaluation and incorporation into routine surgical pathology practice in the management of OSCC. As a result, we believe that tumor budding is a crucial factor in determining tumor behavior.