title: Pain may predict poor prognosis in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We have previously reported that the histologic mode of invasion of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a significant risk factor for pain. Here we sought to determine whether pain is a risk factor for poor prognosis in patients with OSCC.
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluated the relationships between overall survival rates and clinicopathologic variables, including gender, age, T- and N-stages, pathologic findings, and pain in 109 consecutive patients with untreated OSCC.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of these 109 patients, 40 (37%) reported spontaneous pain. Univariate analysis showed that the overall survival rates of patients with spontaneous pain was significantly lower than those of patients without pain (P = .002). Multivariate analysis revealed that spontaneous pain and N-stage were significant independent predictors of overall survival rates.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first report showing that spontaneous pain before treatment may be associated with poor prognosis in patients with OSCC.
authors.affiliation: Oral Diagnosis and Medicine, Department of Oral Pathobiological Science, Hokkaido University, Graduate School of Dental Medicine, Sapporo, Japan. jun-s@den.hokudai.ac.jp
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamazaki
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Satoh
authors.forename: Makiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Onodera-Kyan
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Takehiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Satoh
authors.forename: Ken-ichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Notani
authors.forename: Yoshimasa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kitagawa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D005157:Facial Pain; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012307:Risk Factors; D015996:Survival Rate