title: Verrucous carcinoma of the oral mucosa: an epidemiological and follow-up study of patients treated with surgery in 5 last years.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Oral Verrucous Carcinoma (OVC) is described apart of the Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) due to its specific properties. The objective of our study is to show our series of cases of OVC and to compare with the SCC in terms of clinical manifestations, epidemiology, histopathology, treatment and follow-up.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a retrospective study of all the OVC treated in our department between January-2007 and December-2011. The analyzed variables were sex, age, localization in the oral cavity, histopathology, number of biopsies needed to diagnose OVC, TNM classification, treatment and recurrences during follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our sample was composed by n=14 patients, 57% female, with a mean age of 69.14 years. The most common localization was buccal mucosa (n=5). Seven patients were diagnosed of OVC with the first biopsy. TNM classification was: pT1: 7 patients, pT2: 3 patients, pT3: 3 patients, pT4: 1 patient. No cervical metastases were observed either in cervical neck dissection or during the follow-up of the patients. The treatment was surgery with clinical resection margins up to 1 cm in all cases, followed by radiotherapy in selected cases. Only n=1 patient (7.69%) presented a recurrence after 34 months of follow-up. The overall survival rate was 92.85%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our population, OVC represents the 6.16% of all oral cavity and oropharynx cancer, and is more frequent in female patients above 70 years old. It uses to rise over a previous lesion, and usually affects the buccal mucosa. In patients with high suspicious lesions, more than one biopsy may be needed to diagnose OVC. No patient showed cervical dissemination. In our experience, treatment based on local resection, without cervical neck dissection, could be a good option for these patients.
authors.affiliation: Avda/ República Argentina n 24, 3 , 14004 Córdoba (Spain), dr.candaualvarez@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Candau-Alvarez
authors.forename: Alicia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dean-Ferrer
authors.forename: Francisco-Jesús
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Alamillos-Granados
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Heredero-Jung
authors.forename: Blas
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: García-García
authors.forename: Juan-José
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Ruiz-Masera
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Arévalo-Arévalo
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zafra-Camacho
authors.forename: Borja
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Valenzuela-Salas
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D018289:Carcinoma, Verrucous / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009061:Mouth Mucosa; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors