title: The prognostic effect of tobacco and alcohol consumption in intra-oral squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: The aim of this study was to assess the potential prognostic value of tobacco and alcohol consumption in 161 consecutive patients with intra-oral squamous cell carcinoma. The patients were included in a prospective clinico-experimental and epidemiological study to secure valid data on tobacco and alcohol consumption. Univariate analysis showed that patients with an alcohol consumption above the median had a significantly (P = 0.03) poorer prognosis than other patients, with 5-year cause-specific survivals of 54 +/- 6 and 33 +/- 6%, respectively. Similarly, patients with a tobacco consumption above the median had a worse prognosis than other patients, with 5-year cause-specific survivals of 55 +/- 6 and 39 +/- 6%, respectively. This difference was on the borderline of significance, P = 0.056. Tobacco and alcohol consumption were correlated and each of them correlated with sex, males having a higher consumption than females. T-stage, N-stage, clinical stage, tumour size and sex all had a significant prognostic impact. To elucidate whether tobacco and alcohol consumption had an independent prognostic value, a multivariate analysis by means of the Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was performed. This analysis showed that clinical stage (P = 2 x 10(-5)), tumour size (P = 0.007) and tobacco consumption (P = 0.046), but not alcohol consumption, had significant influences on prognosis. Thus, smoking cessation programmes seem warranted both from a prophylactic and a therapeutic point of view.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bundgaard
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Bentzen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wildt
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D015996:Survival Rate