Independent Prognostic Significance of Worst Pattern of Invasion-5 in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

7-1-2025

Publication Title

Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg

Keywords

biological marker, adult, cancer staging, cohort analysis, conference abstract, depth of invasion, female, human, lymph vessel metastasis, major clinical study, male, mouth squamous cell carcinoma, overall survival, perineural invasion, retrospective study, surgery

Abstract

Background/Purpose: This study evaluates the prognostic significance of Worst Pattern of Invasion-5 (WPOI-5) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and its potential as an independent predictor for adverse outcomes, including overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and locoregional recurrence (LRR). Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 187 OSCC patients treated at a single institution from 2017 to 2023. Variables such as pathological T-stage, N-stage, depth of invasion (DOI), lymphovascular invasion (LVI), and perineural invasion (PNI) were collected. Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess hazard ratios (HR) for OS, DFS, and LRR in relation to WPOI-5. To better isolate WPOI-5’s impact, a second multivariate model that excluded well validated adverse features including DOI, LVI, and PNI was also performed. Results: WPOI-5 was observed in 15.5% of patients and those with WPOI-5 had a mean DFS of 34.3 months versus 54.1 months for those without it. LRR was noted in a total of 23.5% (n=44) of patients. On univariate analysis, WPOI 5 associated with significantly lower DFS (HR 2.3, 95% CI, 1.2–4.4, P=0.006) and OS. After excluding DOI, LVI, and PNI, WPOI-5 remained a significant predictor for DFS (HR 2.1, 95% CI, 1.0–4.5, P=0.037). Conclusions: WPOI-5 appears to be an independent prognostic factor for DFS in OSCC, warranting consideration for treatment intensification. Our findings support further investigation of WPOI-5 as a routine pathological assessment parameter to guide treatment in OSCC.

Volume

54

First Page

165

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