Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence, type and severity of anemia at the time of diagnosis of oral cancer, and its potential association with the degree of tumor cell differentiation. This case-control study used 366 medical records of patients treated at two referral centers for oral cancer diagnosis, specifically: cases (n=70) with a histopathological diagnosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) of the oral cavity, and controls (n=296) with benign oral lesions. Sociodemographic, behavioral, and clinical variables of both groups, as well as complete blood count values, were analyzed by descriptive statistics and crude/adjusted logistic regression. Anemia was detected in 15.7% of the cases and 11.8% of the controls. The presence of anemia had an OR=1.64 (odds ratio) (95%CI 0.54-5.00) for OSCC, with no significantly statistical association. Normocytic anemia was the most prevalent form of anemia when oral cancer was diagnosed (91.4% of the controls and 72.7% of the cases), and moderate to severely low hemoglobin levels were associated with OSCC diagnosis (OR 6.49; 95%CI 1.18-35.24), albeit data on hematological examinations were missing.
Highlights
Oral cancer is the fifth most common malignant neoplasm worldwide, and accounts for the majority of head and neck cancers.[1]
The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency, type and severity of anemia at the time of diagnosis of oral cancer, and to test the hypothesis that its presence is related to the diagnosis of Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), and that it is associated with the degree of tumor cell differentiation
Records of patients who had a history of cancer elsewhere, metastasis, recurrence of oral cancer, previous antineoplastic treatment, and/or who were under anemia treatment were excluded
Summary
Oral cancer is the fifth most common malignant neoplasm worldwide, and accounts for the majority of head and neck cancers.[1]. In addition to these hazards, genetic, hereditary and occupational factors, HPV infections, and consumption of some types of food, such as processed meats, are
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