Squamous cell carcinoma of upper alveolus: An experience of a tertiary care center of Northeast India

Abstract

Objective: The main objective of this study was to analyze the clinical behavior and the impact of nodal metastasis on the prognosis of upper alveolus squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Materials and Methods: The medical records of 110 patients with SCC of the upper alveolus (International Classification of Diseases-10-C03.0) diagnosed during 2010–2015 were reviewed. Survival analysis was done using the Kaplan–Meier method and was compared using log rank-test. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Of the 110 patients, 59 were males and 51 were females. Forty-six (41.8%) patients presented with lymph node metastasis. Fifty-three (51.8%) patients presented in Stage IVA, thirty (27.3%) patients in Stage IVB, ten (9.1%) patients in Stage III, 12 (10.9%) patients in Stage II. The 5-year overall survival (OS) was 71.1% in Stage II, in Stage III it was 65.6%, in Stage it was IVA 56.7%, and in Stage IVB it was 19.4% (P = 0.02). The 5-year OS for node negative compared with node positive was 66.3% versus 37.3%, respectively (P = 0.019). Conclusion: Presence of lymph node metastasis is associated with lower survival rates. Adequate surgical resection with adjuvant treatment, where necessary, offers the best chance of disease control.

Keywords

• Aggressive
• cancer
• neck node
• prognosis
• upper alveolus