Analysis of survival rates and prognostic factors among patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma

Aim: The aim of the study was to estimate global and accumulated survival rates as well as prognostic factors among patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Subject and methods: Data from the previous 5 years were extracted from patient charts at a cancer reference center. The occurrence of death resulting from the malignant tumor in patients with a diagnosis of OSCC was the dependent variable. The independent variables were tumor site, degree of cell differentiation, clinical staging, data of histopathological determination of OSCC, socio-demographic characteristics, smoking habit and treatment modality. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were created. Differences were analyzed using the log-rank and Wilcoxon tests. The Cox regression model was employed to evaluate factors associated with survival, with the calculation of hazard ratios (HR) (α = 5%). Results: The global survival rate was 57%. The stage of the tumor exercised a direct influence on accumulated survival. In the first year of evaluation, the survival rate of patients in stages I and II was 92.6%. The Cox regression analysis revealed the following variables to be significantly associated with survival: T classification of the clinical staging (HR = 2.283; 95% CI: 1.115–4.673) and degree of tumor invasion (HR = 1.834; 95% CI: 1.041–3.232). Conclusion: Clinical stage and degree of tumor invasion are important prognostic factors for OSCC.