Clinico-Pathological Predictors Affecting Lymph Node Status in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

To analyze the correlation of age, gender, subsite, and histopathological factors such as tumour grade, depth of invasion (DOI), lymphovascular invasion(LVI), perineural invasion(PNI), bone invasion and worst pattern of invasion(WPOI) with cervical lymph node metastasis(LNM), extranodal extension(ENE), lymph node ratio(LNR), number of positive nodes(+ veN) and T stage in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). We conducted a retrospective study on cases with OSCC of all stages and any designated anatomical subsite of the oral cavity, who reported to us from the year 2018-2023, and underwent curative-intent surgery with or without appropriate adjuvant treatment. Various clinic-pathological parameters were recorded and their correlation with lymph node metastasis, lymph node ratio(LNR), number of positive nodes(+ veN), extranodal extension(ENE) and T stage was analyzed. A total of 301 patients with a mean of 43.94 ± 11.23 years were enrolled in the study, out of which 86% were males and 14%were females. Tumour grade, DOI, LVI, PNI, medullary bone invasion were found to be predictors of LNM, LNR and + veN, All these histopathological parameters excluding tumor grade had a significant association with ENE as well, and excluding LVI, all of them had a significant association with T stage. Histopathological parameters have a major role to play in determining the lymph node status in OSCC patients.