Gingival Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Diagnostic Delay or Rapid Invasion?

Background: The similarity between gingival squamous cell carcinoma (GSCC) and more common periodontal lesions may lead to a delay in diagnosis or misdiagnosis. Neoplastic lesions of gingival tissues are frequently diagnosed at an advanced stage.Methods: To assess the relative time from when patients first become aware of the problem to histopathologic diagnosis (total diagnostic time), 59 consecutive oral cancer cases were examined in this study. The following variables were considered: age, gender, smoking habits, tumor stage at diagnosis, and total diagnostic time. The median of the patients' total diagnostic time (1.5 months) was used as a cutoff point to distinguish between delayed and non-delayed cases. Analysis of the variables was undertaken using the Student t test and χ2 test, with a 95% confidence interval (CI).Results: The total diagnostic time was 1.5 months for 25% of gingi...