POSSIBLE PROGNOSTIC VALUE OF HISTOPATHOLOGIC PARAMETERS IN PATIENTS WITH CARCINOMA OF THE ORAL TONGUE

The current TNM staging system is helpful but still not enough to accu rately determine prognosis of the patients with squamous cell carcinom as of the oral tongue. Histopathologic variables, however, may be more helpful for predicting nodal metastasis and locoregional recurrences. In this respect, histopathologic examinations were done retrospective ly of tumor specimens from 60 patients with squamous cell carcinomas o f the oral tongue. Besides T-stage and nodal involvement, histopatholo gic parameters of tumor thickness, perineural invasion, lymphovascular space invasion, the extent of lymphocyte infiltration and the invasio n pattern statistically correlated with locoregional recurrences. For nodal metastasis, tumor thickness of IO mm or more and the type of inv asion pattern were statistically significant. These results revealed t hat the variables described should be used fur managing oral tongue ca ncers.