Analysis of the epidemiological features of oral cancer in the city of Buenos Aires

Abstract

Oral cancer comprises 0.6 to 5% of all human malignant tumors. It is accepted in the literature that the clinical evolution of oral cancer has a bad prognosis, i.e. the five year survival rate ranges from 34% to 56%. The aim of the present study was to present a metaanalysis of the most relevant publications on oral cancer in the city of Buenos Aires, including our own series. The publications reviewed herein include the following series: 517 cases (1950-1970), 243 cases (1961-1968), 336 cases (1972-1984), and 274 cases (1992-2000). The clinical end-points evaluated were: age, distribution by sex, tumor site, presence of metastatic adenopathies, and clinical stage. A comparative statistical evaluation of the clinical parameters assessed was performed. Survival was evaluated by the test of Kaplan-Meier. The male/female ratio was 7.1:1 for the 1950-1970 period, 4.3:1 for the 1961-1968 period; 2.3:1 for the 1972-1984 period; and 1.24:1 in our series (1992-2000). The most frequent tumor site (21 to 35% of the cases) was the tongue. At the time of diagnosis, 60-71% of the patients had advanced TNM clinical stages (III and IV). Our follow-up revealed a five-year survival rate after diagnosis of 39%. The overall analysis of all the cases corresponding to the 1950-2000 period revealed that the prevalence of oral cancer in women has risen alarmingly and that the percentage of patients with advanced stages of tumor development continues to be high.