Clinical features of microinvasive stage I oral carcinoma.
BACKGROUND
This study aimed to analyse a case series of microinvasive (tumour thickness <4 mm) stage I oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), with an emphasis on the clinical features of the tumours.


METHODS
In total, 32 microinvasive and 67 non-microinvasive stage I lesions, which had been surgically treated, were retrospectively studied and compared. The data analysed included gender, age, risk habits, clinical appearance, lesion site, symptoms, nodal involvement and outcome.


RESULTS
The clinical features of microinvasive lesions meant that, more often than not, they resembled premalignant lesions (P = 0.008), and diagnosis was mainly based on accurate clinical examination rather than the presence of symptoms (P = 0.029). During a median follow-up of 4.5 years, one nodal involvement and one cancer-related death were observed in patients with microinvasive lesions. A significantly higher (P = 0.044) level of nodal involvement was observed in the non-microinvasive lesion group.


CONCLUSIONS
Stage I OSCC has a favourable prognosis overall, but nodal recurrence is more common in non-microinvasive cancers. As microinvasive lesions tend to present clinically as premalignant lesions, accurate clinical examination is essential if misdiagnosis of early lesions is to be avoided.
Pentenero
M
M
Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, Torino, Italy. monica.pentenero@unito.it
Navone
R
R
Motta
F
F
Marino
R
R
Gassino
L
L
Broccoletti
R
R
Gandolfo
S
S
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology* / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009060:Mouth Floor / Q000473:pathology; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000473:pathology; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking; D015996:Survival Rate; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome