SQUAMOUS-CELL CARCINOMA OF THE GINGIVA - A CASE SERIES ANALYSIS

Recent studies suggest that patients with carcinoma of the gingiva exh ibit demographic features that differ from those of persons with squam ous carcinoma at other intraoral sites. In this study, we sought to ex plore this hypothesis in greater detail. Records from the University o f Connecticut Oral Biopsy Service from 1975 through 1992 inclusive wer e surveyed for cases of oral carcinoma. A total of 577 cases were retr ieved and analyzed with respect to prevalence, gender distribution, an d age at diagnosis. We found that the gingiva (alveolar ridge included ) was the third most common site for oral squamous carcinoma after car cinoma of the floor of the mouth and tongue. Further, the relative pro portion of gingival cancer versus carcinoma at other intraoral subsite s remained essentially constant throughout the study period. Male-to-f emale ratios were significantly greater for cancer of the floor of the mouth as compared with both cancer of the tongue and cancer of the gi ngiva (ridge included). Age was not a significant predictor of oral ca ncer subsite, and there were no apparent differences between carcinoma of the dentate gingiva and that of the edentulous ridge. Results of t his study indicate that gender-specific predilections exist for squamo us cell carcinoma at different intraoral subsites. These differences s uggest the possibility of different etiologic factors and pathogenetic mechanisms involved in carcinoma of the gingiva compared with surface carcinoma al other intraoral sites.