Squamous cell carcinoma: morphological & topographical spectrum: a two year analysis

Squamous cell carcinoma, which is a malignant tumor of the squamous epithelium, has been a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. It is a major health problem across the world and among the most common cancers seen in both Indian men and women as can be gauged from the records of the National Cancer Registry Programme. This study was undertaken to analyze the spectrum of squamous cell carcinoma cases presenting at M.Y. Hospital, Indore, during 2 years between 2007 and 2008, to understand the morphological patterns of squamous cell carcinoma lesions and classify them into morphological categories given by International Classification of Diseases for Oncology (ICD-O, third edition), to analyze the anatomical site distribution pattern of squamous cell carcinoma lesions and categorize them in topographical classes given by ICD-O. Over a 2-year period, 959 cases were retrieved from the files of histopathology laboratory, department of pathology, M.G.M. Medical College, Indore. Out of total 959 cases, the maximum cases-290 (30.24 %)-of squamous cell carcinoma were found between the fourth and fifth decades of life. The frequency of squamous cell carcinoma in patients older than 30 years was 96.35 %, while in cases of less than 30 years, it was 03.65 %. Most of the reported cases of squamous cell carcinoma included invasive types (i.e., 94.3 %). Cases with distant metastasis constituted 4.7 %, while only 1 % were noninvasive or in situ. The frequency of squamous cell carcinoma presenting at our institution was highest among those involving the lip, oral cavity, and pharynx (56.50 %), followed by those involving female genital organs (30.24 %). The respective involvement of skin, digestive organs, and respiratory systems was 4.70, 3.86, and 2.40 % in decreasing order of frequency. Frequency was least (1.05 %) among the cases reported to show metastatic deposits of squamous cell carcinoma in lymph nodes. Regarding the topographical spectrum, the maximum number of cases (26.07 %) of squamous cell carcinoma encountered belonged to ICD-O category C-53 (i.e., cervix). Among the morphological categories, the most frequently encountered was that of squamous cell carcinoma, keratinizing (35.2 %).