title: MRI-derived tumor thickness: an important predictor of outcome for T4a-staged tongue carcinoma.
abstract: The objectives of this paper are to evaluate the heterogeneity of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-derived tumor thickness within tumors of the same T4a-staged tongue carcinoma and to elucidate the effects of tumor thickness on treatment outcomes. A sequential and prospectively maintained head and neck cancer database was retrospectively searched for newly diagnosed tongue carcinoma treated with surgery between 2003 and 2006. Fifty-eight patients with newly diagnosed T4a-staged tongue carcinoma were included in this study. Tumor thickness was obtained from preoperative magnetic resonance imaging. The mean MRI-derived tumor thickness was 22.29 mm. The patients with long tumor thickness (>26 mm) were associated with a significantly poor disease-specific survival (P = 0.015). The 2-year disease-specific survival rates were 72% in patients with short tumor thickness and only 27% in patients with long tumor thickness within the same T4a-staged disease. A substantial variation in MRI-derived tumor thickness was present within the same T4a-staged tongue carcinoma, and tumor thickness represented an important prognostic factor.
authors: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan.
authors: Wei-Lin
authors: WL
authors: Chen
authors: Chin-Chuan
authors: CC
authors: Su
authors: Chih-Ming
authors: CM
authors: Chen
authors: Ming-Che
authors: MC
authors: Lee
authors: Hui-Chuan
authors: HC
authors: Chen
authors: Mu-Kuan
authors: MK
authors: Chen
mesh_terms: D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D014059:Tongue / Q000473:pathology*; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*