Oral squamous cell carcinoma: a clinicopathological study on 194 cases in northeastern Brazil. A cross-sectional retrospective study

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Only a few studies have evaluated the clinicopathological features of oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in Brazil, and most were conducted in the most industrialized region of the country, i.e. the southeastern region. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinicopathological features of this malignant neoplasm in northeastern Brazil. DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective study performed in an oral pathology laboratory in Recife, Brazil. METHODS: All cases of oral SCC that occurred between 2000 and 2015 were studied. Clinical data were recorded and histological slides were reviewed. Statistical analysis was performed using the chi-square test (P ≤ 0.05). RESULTS: A total of 194 cases were evaluated. The male-to-female ratio was 1.5:1. The mean age was 65.4 years, and only 6.6% of the cases occurred in patients younger than 41 years. Most tumors consisted of well-differentiated SCC (54.6%). CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study highlight the higher prevalence of oral SCC among women and the increasing number of cases among young patients. Thus there is no specific risk group for oral SCC, as in the past. This fact needs to be taken into consideration in clinical routine care, so that apparently innocuous malignant lesions do not go unnoticed in these individuals.

研究背景：目前针对巴西口腔鳞状细胞癌（oral squamous cell carcinoma，SCC）的临床病理特征研究较为匮乏，且多数研究均聚焦于该国工业化程度最高的东南部地区。本研究旨在探析巴西东北部区域该恶性肿瘤的临床病理特征。
研究设计与实施场景：本研究为回顾性研究，实施地点为巴西累西腓的一家口腔病理实验室。
研究方法：纳入2000年至2015年间所有确诊的口腔鳞状细胞癌病例开展研究。收集患者临床资料并复查组织病理切片，采用卡方检验（chi-square test）进行统计学分析，检验水准设定为P≤0.05。
研究结果：本研究共评估194例病例。男女比例为1.5:1，患者平均年龄为65.4岁，仅6.6%的病例发生于41岁以下患者群体中。多数肿瘤为高分化口腔鳞状细胞癌，占比达54.6%。
研究结论：本研究结果显示，口腔鳞状细胞癌在女性群体中的患病率更高，且青年患者的病例数呈增加趋势。由此可见，口腔鳞状细胞癌已无明确的高危人群，与既往认知相悖。临床日常诊疗工作中需重视这一变化，以免此类看似无害的恶性病变被漏诊。