Importance of tumor budding grade as independent prognostic factor for early tongue squamous cell carcinoma

• Published in: Head & neck Vol. 41; no. 6; pp. 1809 - 1815
• Main Authors: Ebihara, Yasuhiro, Yoshida, Saori, Nakahira, Mitsuhiko, Kogashiwa, Yasunao, Enoki, Yuichiro, Kuba, Kiyomi, Inoue, Hitoshi, Minami, Kazuhiko, Yasuda, Masanori, Sugasawa, Masashi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken, USA John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01-06-2019; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: budding; early tongue cancer; Head and neck; lymph node metastasis; Lymph nodes; Medical prognosis; Metastases; Multivariate analysis; Oral cancer; Prognosis; prognostic factor; Squamous cell carcinoma; Tongue; prognostic factor; early tongue cancer; multivariate analysis; budding; lymph node metastasis
• ISSN: 1043-3074; 1097-0347
• DOI: 10.1002/hed.25614

Background
Factors involved in neck lymph node metastasis (NLM) and prognosis of early tongue squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) remain unknown.
Methods
We analyzed disease‐specific survival (DSS) and NLM including tumor budding grade (TBG) among 64 patients with cT1/2N0 tongue SCC.
Results
Univariate analysis of DSS of primary lesions uncovered significant differences in new cT, pT, new pT, pDiameter, venous infiltration, and TBG. Multivariate analysis selected only TBG3 as a predictor of NLM (odds ratio, 9.55; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.80‐50.8; P = .008), and a prognostic factor for DSS (hazard ratio, 4.41; 95% CI, 1.34‐14.5; P = .02).
Conclusion
The sole predictor of NLM and the prognosis of early tongue SCC was TBG, indicating that it might help to select overwhelming risk patients.