Original Article

You have free access to this content

Invasion characteristics of oral tongue cancer

Frequency of reporting and effect on survival in a population-based study

  1. Michael Goodman MD, MPH1,†,*,
  2. Lihua Liu PhD2,
  3. Kevin Ward PhD1,3,
  4. Juanjuan Zhang MS2,
  5. Lyn Almon MPH3,
  6. Gan Su BS4,
  7. Lenard Berglund DMA2,
  8. Amy Chen MD, MPH5,6,
  9. Uttam K. Sinha MS, MD7,
  10. John L. Young DrPH1,3

Article first published online: 23 JUN 2009

DOI: 10.1002/cncr.24459

Issue

Cancer

Cancer

Volume 115, Issue 17, pages 4010–4020, 1 September 2009

Additional Information

How to Cite

Goodman, M., Liu, L., Ward, K., Zhang, J., Almon, L., Su, G., Berglund, L., Chen, A., Sinha, U. K. and Young, J. L. (2009), Invasion characteristics of oral tongue cancer. Cancer, 115: 4010–4020. doi: 10.1002/cncr.24459

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Epidemiology, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, Georgia

  2. 2

    Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California

  3. 3

    Georgia Center for Cancer Statistics, Atlanta, Georgia

  4. 4

    Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine-Georgia Campus, Suwanee, Georgia

  5. 5

    Department of Otolaryngology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia

  6. 6

    Health Services Research, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia

  7. 7

    Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California

  1. †

    Fax: (404) 727-8737

*Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road, NE, Atlanta, GA 30322

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 20 AUG 2009
  2. Article first published online: 23 JUN 2009
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 28 JAN 2009
  4. Manuscript Revised: 26 JAN 2009
  5. Manuscript Received: 6 OCT 2008

SEARCH

SEARCH BY CITATION

ARTICLE TOOLS

View Full Article (HTML) Get PDF (283K)

Keywords:

  • College of American Pathologists;
  • depth of invasion;
  • lymphovascular invasion;
  • perineural invasion;
  • tongue cancer;
  • survival

Depth of invasion reporting increased from 13% during 1997 through 1999 to 23% during 2000 through 2004 after the College of American Pathologists issued its recommendations. Depth of tumor invasion of >3 mm and the presence of perineural invasion were found to be among the strongest predictors of survival in this population-based study.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

The 2000 College of American Pathologists (CAP) guidelines recommend that a characterization of carcinomas of the upper aerodigestive tract, including tongue cancer, should include depth of invasion (DI) and the presence of lymphovascular invasion (LVI) or perineural invasion (PNI).

METHODS:

This study included patients who were diagnosed with cancer of the oral tongue, who underwent tumor resection, and who were reported to either the Metropolitan Atlanta and Rural Georgia Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry or the Los Angeles SEER registry. The authors assessed the completeness of pathology reporting with respect to the documentation of PNI or LVI and DI. Generalized estimating equations were used to examine factors that influenced reporting while taking into consideration clustering of observations within the hospitals. Univariate and multivariate survival analyses were conducted to examine the impact of tumor invasion characteristics on mortality while controlling for other prognostic factors.

RESULTS:

DI reporting increased from 13% between 1997 and 1999 to 23% between 2000 and 2004 after the CAP issued its recommendations; whereas mode of invasion (the presence of LVI and/or PNI) reporting for the same period increased from 13% to 38%. The observed increase in reporting was most pronounced in the first 2 years (2000 and 2001) and appeared to decline again afterward. Tumor invasion >3 mm in depth and the presence of PNI were among the strongest predictors of survival in multivariate analyses.

CONCLUSIONS:

The current results indicated the importance of reporting tumor invasion characteristics for patients diagnosed with cancer of the oral tongue. The findings also underscore the need for continuous monitoring of adherence to the CAP protocol. Cancer 2009. © 2009 American Cancer Society.

View Full Article (HTML) Get PDF (283K)