Epidemiological profile of young patients with squamous cell carcinoma in northeast Brazil

Temporal trends of women with oral cavity, base of tongue and lip cancers in Brazil: An ecological study covering mortality data from 1980 to 2018

OBJECTIVES

Obtaining robust evidence about the local mortality levels, trends and impact of oral cavity/base of tongue cancers and lip cancer, especially for women, is imperative in the fight against cancer. This descriptive retrospective ecological time-series study explored trends in oral cavity/base of tongue cancers and lip cancer mortality rates for women in Brazil from 1980 to 2018, by geographic region and anatomical location.

METHODS

The crude and age-adjusted annual mortality rates were obtained by sex, anatomical location and macro-regions of Brazil. The number of deaths from oral cavity/base of tongue cancers and lip cancers in Brazil was based on official population counts and estimates. The annual percentage change was calculated based on age-adjusted rates. Data set were analysed using the Joinpoint Regression program.

RESULTS

A total of 81,918 individuals died of oral cavity/base of tongue cancers and lip cancer between 1980 and 2018 in Brazil. The age-adjusted mortality rate for women was 0.47 and 0.57 per 100,000 in 1980 and 2018, respectively. The cumulative female mortality rates standardized by age were 0.01/100,000 for lip cancer and 0.5/100,000 for oral cavity and base of tongue cancers. A decrease in deaths related to oral cavity and base of tongue cancers was identified in the 1980s; however, over the last two decades, there has been an increase in the number of deaths of women with cancer at the base of tongue and neighbouring areas and on the floor of mouth. Importantly, Brazilian regions showed wide variability in trends of oral cavity, base of tongue and lip cancers rate and, in 2018, the regions with the highest rates were the Southeast, South and Northeast for both sexes and specifically for women. The North region showed the greatest recent significant upward trend.

CONCLUSIONS

During the last 38 years, Brazil has shown a significant increase in the trend of the mortality rate due to oral cavity/base of tongue and lip cancers in women. Preventive strategies with control of risk factors should be strongly emphasized in order to improve the survival rates of individuals with oral cavity/base of tongue and lip cancers.

Prognostic factors and long-term survival in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Objective: this study aimed to evaluate long-term survival and prognostic factors in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in an economically poor region of Brazil.Methods: the data were obtained from analysis of medical and mortality records of 210 patients with OSCC treated at an oncology hospital providing services to the Brazilian Unified National Health System in a State of northeastern Brazil between January 2006 and December 2008. Sociodemographic and clinical information, treatment performed, recurrence and evolution were collected. Survival curves were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method and the log rank and Cox regression tests were used to compare the curves.Results: the median survival in the study period was 47.4 months (95% CI = 38.2 - 56.7). The overall survival rates at 5 and 10 years were 29% and 19.8%, respectivelly. Individuals over 60 years of age (HR = 1.70; 95% CI = 1.06 - 2.73), presence of regional metastasis (HR = 2.51; 95% CI = 1.55 - 4.08), presence of recurrence (HR = 3.18; 95% CI = 1.88 - 5.39) and no surgical treatment (HR = 2.10; 95% CI = 1.31 - 3.35) had a worse prognosis.Conclusions: advanced age, presence of regional metastasis, tumor recurrence and non-surgical treatment predict poorer survival in patients diagnosed with OSCC.

Histological features and survival in young patients with HPV-negative oral squamous cell carcinoma

OBJECTIVES

The frequency of oral squamous cell carcinoma in young adults has increased in the last decades, and there are conflicting results in literature about its prognosis in young subjects. The aim of this study was to analyse the clinical and pathological features of oral squamous cell carcinoma in a cohort of young adults in order to investigate the presence of new independent prognostic markers.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Only HPV-negative young patients (under 40-year-old) affected by oral squamous cell carcinoma were considered in this study. Clinical and pathological data were collected. Patients were re-staged according to the 8th edition of AJCC.

RESULTS

Overall, 66 patients were considered in this study. Perineural invasion significant correlated with both 7th and 8th edition of AJCC, and lymphovascular invasion (p-value < .05). The multivariate survival analysis showed that patients with perineural invasion had a significant worse prognosis (HR = 6.384 95% C.I. 1.304-31.252; p-value = .022).

CONCLUSIONS

Perineural invasion emerged as an independent prognostic factor for disease-specific survival in young patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma. Furthermore, the evaluation of this parameter is simple, inexpensive and can be used to augment the risk stratification of oral cancer based on the 8th edition of AJCC.