Demographic and Clinicopathologic Characteristics of 3723 Patients with Primary Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Consecutive, Single-Center Study Over 11 Years (2012-2023)

Yao Xiao; Lei-Ming Cao; Zhao-Qi Zhu; Xiao-Hu Wang; Guang-Rui Wang; Kan Zhou; Yi-Fu Yu; Yi-Jia-Ning Zhang; Ke-Ru Shen; Jing-Yi Liu; Zi-Zhan Li; Xuan-Hao Liu; Han-Yue Luo; Si-Jie Zhang; Kang-Ning Wang; Chon-Hou Mak; Li-Ya Wei; Zhi-Gong Ma; Run-Feng Liang; Hao Wei; Zhen-Yu Xu; Wei-Yu Wang; Yu-Zhong Qiu; Yun Tang; Xue-Peng Xiong; Jun Jia; Lin-Lin Bu; Bing Liu

doi:10.1245/s10434-025-18044-8

Demographic and Clinicopathologic Characteristics of 3723 Patients with Primary Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Consecutive, Single-Center Study Over 11 Years (2012-2023)

Ann Surg Oncol. 2025 Aug 26. doi: 10.1245/s10434-025-18044-8. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Yao Xiao^#¹, Lei-Ming Cao^#¹, Zhao-Qi Zhu¹, Xiao-Hu Wang¹, Guang-Rui Wang¹, Kan Zhou¹, Yi-Fu Yu¹, Yi-Jia-Ning Zhang¹, Ke-Ru Shen¹, Jing-Yi Liu¹, Zi-Zhan Li¹, Xuan-Hao Liu¹, Han-Yue Luo¹, Si-Jie Zhang¹, Kang-Ning Wang¹, Chon-Hou Mak¹, Li-Ya Wei¹, Zhi-Gong Ma¹, Run-Feng Liang¹, Hao Wei¹, Zhen-Yu Xu¹, Wei-Yu Wang¹, Yu-Zhong Qiu¹, Yun Tang¹, Xue-Peng Xiong^{1

2}, Jun Jia^{1

2}, Lin-Lin Bu^{3

4}, Bing Liu^{5

6}

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Oral and Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
² Department of Oral and Maxillofacial - Head Neck Oncology, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Oral and Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China. lin-lin.bu@whu.edu.cn.
⁴ Department of Oral and Maxillofacial - Head Neck Oncology, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China. lin-lin.bu@whu.edu.cn.
⁵ State Key Laboratory of Oral and Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China. liubing9909@whu.edu.cn.
⁶ Department of Oral and Maxillofacial - Head Neck Oncology, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China. liubing9909@whu.edu.cn.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 40858958
DOI: 10.1245/s10434-025-18044-8

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the demographic and clinicopathologic characteristics of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and explore the risk factors associated with OSCC pathological TNM (pTNM) stage.

Methods: This retrospective study included patients with OSCC from 2012 to 2023. Data analyzed included demographics, clinicopathological characteristics, and treatment. Age differences were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test. Categorical variables were presented as percentages and were compared using the Chi-square or Fisher's exact tests. Logistic regression was used for multivariate analysis.

Results: A total of 3723 patients were analyzed and the male:female ratio was 2.35:1. Patients aged 45-59 years accounted for the largest proportion (37%, 1377/3723) of patients, and 90.7% (3375/3723) were from Hubei Province of China. The most commonly affected site was the body of the tongue (45.8%, 1704/3723). Moderately differentiated OSCC patients accounted for 54.9% (2045/3723) of the study cohort. The percentage of patients with locally advanced-stage OSCC (pTNM stage III/IV) was 41.2% (1534/3723). Patients of different sexes with OSCC at different sites were statistically different in respect to clinicopathological characteristics. 3057 patients underwent neck dissection, while 39.3% (1201/3057) had positive lymph nodes. Alcohol consumption, age >50 years, and perineural invasion (PNI) were independent risk factors for locally advanced OSCC (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: OSCC is more common in males and the most common site was the body of the tongue. Alcohol consumption, age > 50 years, and PNI were independent risk factors for locally advanced OSCC. The limitations include selection bias from a single-center study and the lack of prognostic data. Future studies should explore OSCC heterogeneity and enhance preventive strategies for patients who had risk factors.

Keywords: Clinicopathologic characteristics; Demographic characteristics; Lymph node metastasis; Oral squamous cell carcinoma; Pathological TNM stage.

Abstract

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