Objective: An increase in the incidence of oral cancer in women has been reported in some countries. This study investigated demographic, clinicopathological, risk factors, treatment outcomes and predictors for survival in female patients with oral cancer treated in a reference head and neck cancer center for the past 32 years.
Methods: This retrospective cohort study reviewed the clinical records of women patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The proportion of OSCC cases in women relative to men over the last three decades was investigated. Clinicopathological data were correlated with treatment outcomes using logistic regression analysis. The 2 and 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) were assessed through the Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses.
Results: In total, 133 women patients with OSCC were investigated. The ratio of oral cancer cases in women to men has almost doubled in the last decade. Most female patients were non-smokers (51.9%) and non-alcoholics (69.2%) and had early-stage disease at the time of diagnosis (51.9%). The most frequent tumor sites were tongue (46.6%) and alveolar ridge (18%). Advanced clinical stage was the independent predictor for worse 5-year OS (p < 0.001) and DSS (p < 0.001), while non-surgical treatment was associated with poor OS only at the 2-year cutoff (p = 0.003).
Conclusion: This study demonstrates an increase in the proportion of oral cancer cases in women in the last decade. Advanced-stage tumors remain the main predictor for women with oral cancer, denoting the need to strengthen policies to increase the rate of early diagnosis for this population.
Clinical relevance: The number of female patients with oral cancer without the classic risk factors for the disease has been increasing over the years. Clinicians should be alerted to ulcerated lesions in the oral mucosa of non-smoking and non-alcoholic women, favoring early diagnosis.
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