title: Metabolic syndrome is associated with better prognosis in patients with tongue squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Metabolic syndrome (MS) is associated with several cancers, but it is not clear whether MS affects the prognosis of tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC). This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of MS in TSCC.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical data from 252 patients with TSCC who were initially treated at the Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center between April 1998 and June 2011 were collected, and the associations between MS and clinicopathologic factors were retrospectively analyzed. Prognostic outcomes were examined by Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 252 patients, 48 were diagnosed with MS. MS was associated with early N category in TSCC (P < 0.001). The patients with MS showed longer survival than those without MS (P = 0.028). MS was an independent prognostic factor for patients with TSCC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MS is associated with early N category in TSCC. It is an independent prognostic factor for better survival in patients with TSCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center; State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, P. R. China. zlyyzl@foxmail.com.
authors.forename: Lan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510655, P. R. China. dortianr@163.com.
authors.forename: Tian-Run
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center; State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, P. R. China. yangak@sysucc.org.cn.
authors.forename: An-Kui
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome; D009026:Mortality; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms