Descriptive study of 896 Oral squamous cell carcinomas from the only University based Oral Pathology Diagnostic Service in Sri Lanka

BackgroundThe main objective of this study was to describe selected clinico-pathological characteristics of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) in Sri-Lanka.Materials & methodsThe study sample comprised of eight hundred and ninety six biopsies diagnosed as OSCC. The clinical and histopathological features were analyzed using the Chi-square test.ResultsOf the 896 biopsies, 801 were primary OSCCs, while 95 were recurrent OSCCs. Majority of the patients (78 %) were in the 5th to 7th decades of life and showed a male predilection. The buccal mucosa was the commonest site of primary OSCC comprising of 43 % of the sample. Of the primary OSCCs, with known TNM stage, 86 % were in stage 3&4 and majority (59 %) of stage 4 tumours showed tumour at one or more excision margins. Of the recurrent OSCC, 46 % developed their recurrences within one year of the excision of the primary tumour.ConclusionIn Sri-Lanka, OSCC is a major problem. Only half the patients had completely excised tumours (with clearance of >5 mm at all excision margins) at operation, and recurrences appeared early. This data should be considered in the future management policy of OSCC in Sri-Lanka.