title: Descriptive study of 896 Oral squamous cell carcinomas from the only University based Oral Pathology Diagnostic Service in Sri Lanka.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The main objective of this study was to describe selected clinico-pathological characteristics of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) in Sri-Lanka.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study sample comprised of eight hundred and ninety six biopsies diagnosed as OSCC. The clinical and histopathological features were analyzed using the Chi-square test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 896 biopsies, 801 were primary OSCCs, while 95 were recurrent OSCCs. Majority of the patients (78 %) were in the 5(th) to 7(th) decades of life and showed a male predilection. The buccal mucosa was the commonest site of primary OSCC comprising of 43 % of the sample. Of the primary OSCCs, with known TNM stage, 86 % were in stage 3&4 and majority (59 %) of stage 4 tumours showed tumour at one or more excision margins. Of the recurrent OSCC, 46 % developed their recurrences within one year of the excision of the primary tumour.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In Sri-Lanka, OSCC is a major problem. Only half the patients had completely excised tumours (with clearance of >5 mm at all excision margins) at operation, and recurrences appeared early. This data should be considered in the future management policy of OSCC in Sri-Lanka.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Pathology, Faculty of Dental Sciences, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. primalij@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Primali Rukmal
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Jayasooriya
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Pathology, Faculty of Dental Sciences, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. tnpitakotuwage@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Thushara Nilmini
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Pitakotuwage
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Unit of Oral Medicine & Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Department of Surgery, University Hospitals of Geneva & University of Geneva, 19, rue Barthelemy-Menn, 1205, Geneva, Switzerland. ranjitm@bluewin.ch.
authors.forename: Balapuwaduge Ranjit Rigorbert Nihal
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Mendis
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Unit of Oral Medicine & Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Department of Surgery, University Hospitals of Geneva & University of Geneva, 19, rue Barthelemy-Menn, 1205, Geneva, Switzerland. Tommaso.Lombardi@unige.ch.
authors.forename: Tommaso
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lombardi
mesh_terms: D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology*; D003954:Diagnostic Services; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology*; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D010339:Pathology, Oral; D013188:Sri Lanka; D014495:Universities