title: Long term survival and impact of various prognostic factors in T1, T2 oral tongue cancer in Pakistan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the outcome in patients with early squamous cell carcinoma of oral tongue, and the impact of various prognostic factors on survival.
  
  
  METHODS
  The retrospective study was conducted at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore, Pakistan, and comprised records of patients treated for squamous cell carcinoma of early stage tongue between March 2003 and October 2009. Various factors, including demographics, risk factors, stage, and grade of the tumour were determined. Kaplan Meier curves were plotted to determine the 5-year overall survival, relapse-free survival, local control, regional control, and loco-regional control.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 137 patients with early oral tongue tumours were treated. With a median follow-up of 46 months, the overall survival of T1, T2 early tongue tumour was 73% and 64%. The incidence of occult metastasis was 30%. The overall survival for Stage I/II and III/IV was 78% and 50% (p=0.002). Patterns of failures included; local 19 (13%), regional 22 (16%), loco-regional 4 (3%) and distant 5 (4%) respectively. The 5-year local control, regional control, loco-regional control was 86%, 82% and 72%. The only significant predictor of overall survival was clinical and pathological N stage in T1 patients, and surgical procedure, grade, pathological N stage in T2 cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Treatment of early squamous cell carcinoma of oral tongue effectively achieved local control and disease-free survival. Nodal stage was the most important prognostic factor in terms of survival and recurrence.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Oncology, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Raza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hussain
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Arif
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jamshed
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Oncology, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Hassan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Iqbal
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Sadaf
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Usman
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Muhammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Irfan
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Oncology, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Abu Bakar
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Hafeez Bhatti
mesh_terms: D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D019468:Disease Management; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005927:Glossectomy / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010154:Pakistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy
keywords: Squamous cell carcinoma, Early tongue, Survival, Prognostic factors.