Clinicopathological Characteristics of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma at the Central Referral and Teaching Hospital in West Java, Indonesia.

PURPOSE

This study aimed to investigate the clinicopathological characteristics of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients and analyze the relationship between the degree of differentiation and factors including age, sex, stage, and tumor location in West Java, Indonesia.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at the Central Referral and Teaching Hospital in West Java, Indonesia. The data were collected by reviewing medical records with International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes C00-C06 from 2016 to 2023. Descriptive statistics were employed to summarize the clinicopathological characteristics of OSCC patients. Chi-square, rank Spearman tests, and contingency correlation coefficients were used to analyze the relationship between the degree of differentiation and various factors, such as age, sex, stage, and tumor location of OSCC.

RESULTS

Out of the 627 oral cancer patients, 70.49% were diagnosed with OSCC with a gender distribution of 45.7% males and 54.3% females, predominantly within the age range of 30-49 (37.2%). Most OSCC cases were stage IV (37.7%), with the tongue identified as the most common site (68.8%). A consistent trend of higher well-differentiated and moderately differentiated OSCC by age and gender was observed. Statistical analysis revealed no significant correlation between age, gender, tumor location, and the degree of OSCC differentiation (p>0.05). However, a statistically significant correlation was identified between the degree of OSCC differentiation and stage (p<0.001, r=0.460).

CONCLUSION

There is a correlation between the degree of differentiation of OSCC and stage, suggesting significant prognostic implications that can aid in treatment planning and outcome prediction. However, further studies are needed due to the lack of comprehensive data on risk factors and survival rates of oral cancer patients, which is essential for enhancing prevention and treatment strategies for OSCC.