Association between the site of occurrence and pathological TNM staging in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Oral cancer is a worldwide health problem. Risk factors for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) are tobacco, alcohol, betel nuts, viral infection and dietary habit. The site of occurence of the OSCC differs substantially between different people groups mainly because of variations in the prevalence of risk factors. The prognosis varies based on the site. pTNM is also one of the most useful tools for the prediction of prognosis. Therefore, it is of interest to correlate the pTNM staging with the site of occurrence of the lesion using 36 OSCC cage reports. The results revealed 36.11% of the lesion occurred in buccal mucosa. Stage III pTNM was most prevalent in buccal mucosa and tongue and Stage IV pTNM in the retromolar trigone region by significant association with p value < 0.05. Thus, we report that lesions occurring in the Retromolar region, tongue and buccal mucosa need to be given special attention, as they are associated with early metastasis and poor prognosis. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment protocol will improve the quality of life for the patients.