Oral squamous cell carcinoma: Histopathological prognosticator

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the sixth most common human cancer. It encompasses at least 90% of all oral malignancies, has a 5-year mortality rate of approximately 50% that has not changed significantly in more than 50 years, and a high rate of morbidity. Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck grows locally and then it spreads to the lymph nodes of the neck. Surgical treatment of these tumors includes local resection and neck dissection. The therapeutic modality currently offered to OSCC patients is based on traditional stage-predicting indices and on histological grading. Most decisions for cancer patients are now made on the basis of prognostic and predictive factors. These prognostic factors are obtained only after surgical exploration and a subsequent histologic examination. Thus histopathologic parameters are potential prognosticators which aid in planning treatment because prior to surgical intervention there are no reliable, critical markers that provide accurate information regarding the likelihood of regional metastasis, postoperative adjuvant therapy, and prognosis.