The Relation Between Regional Lymph Node Metastasis and Tumor Thickness in Lower Lip Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients

Abstract

Background and aim: The tumor thickness (TT) plays an important role in the progress and prognosis of malignant tumors in general, and particularly in oral squamous cell carcinoma. Tumors with more thickness were associated with more high percentage of regional lymph node metastasis and as a result of this more bad prognosis.

This study aimed to evaluate the relation between tumor thickness (TT) and regional lymph node metastasis in lower lip squamous cell carcinoma patients, and to evaluate (TT) as a prognostic factor of the progress of disease and as an influencer factor in suggested treatment plan.

Materials and methods: The study sample contained 23 patients (12 male, 11 female) who were diagnosed with lower lip squamous cell carcinoma, Exicional boipsy was taken and tumor thickness was measured by the pathologist and regional lymph nodes status was evaluated  pathologically or radiologically or by the two ways.

The sample patients were divided into two groups according to  regional lymph nodes status: patients with positive lymph node metastasis (N+),  and  patients with negative lymph node metastasis (N0), the maximum tumor thickness was measured in the two groups and results were compared by using student t- test.

Results: Lymph node metastasis were occurred in 10 patients of our sample (43.47%), the median tumor thickness was 12.6 mm in positive lymph node metastasis group and 6.47 mm in negative lymph node metastasis group which was  lesser than  the median of positive lymph node  group with statistical significant difference at 95% confidence level.

Conclusion: Regional Lymph node metastasis were associated with higher values of  tumor thickness in patients with lower lip squamous cell carcinoma, and tumors with higher thickness were related to higher incidence of lymph node metastasis so that prophylatic neck curettage or irradiation is to be considered in those patients.