Clinicopathological profile of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Background: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) constitutes one of the most common malignancies in the world. The geographic location influences the etiologic factors and site of tumor. Aims and Objectives: The present study was carried out to illustrate the clinicopathologic profiles of HNSCC patients since data regarding these tumors from eastern region of India are scarce. Materials and Methods: A prospective study was undertaken for 2 years in which patients with histologically proven HNSCC were included. The clinicopathologic features of each case were analyzed. Results: A total of 108 cases were included in the study, among which 79 (73.15%) were male and 29 (26.85%) were female. Mean age of the patients was 53.21 (+/- 12.17) years. The most common risk factor was smoking (63 cases, 58.33%) followed by tobacco or betel nut chewing (41 cases, 37.96%). The common patterns of presentation included ulcerated lesion (51 cases, 47.22%), whitish lesion (28 cases, 25.93%), and hoarseness of voice (11 cases, 10.19%). The most common sites involved were buccal mucosa (36 cases, 33.33%) and dorsal surface of the tongue (26 cases, 24.07%). The most common site for exophytic tumors was buccal mucosa (9 out of 23, 39.13%) and that for ulceroproliferative lesions was tongue (9 out of 17, 52.04%). Microscopically, well-differentiated (Grade I) tumors were most common (67 cases, 62.04%) followed by moderately differentiated (Grade II) tumors (38 cases, 35.19%). A statistically significant correlation was obtained between anatomic site and grade of the tumor. Conclusion: Patients of HNSCC from the eastern region of India have distinctive features with regard to macroscopic appearance and microscopic grade of their tumors.