Abstract
The aim of the study is to determine the specific characteristics of patients diagnosed with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
This is a retrospective cross-sectional study of all patients diagnosed histopathologically with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) at National Guard Governmental Hospital, King Abdulaziz medical city (KAMC), Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, between January 2001 and June 2012.Demographic and topographic data, clinical presentations, management regimens were reviewed. Salivary gland tumors, thyroid cancer, lymphoma, skin and unknown primary tumors were excluded.
There were 94 patients diagnosed with HNSCC. The patients’ mean age was 56.87years and 3:1 male to female ratio. Nasopharyngeal SCC 42.55% was the most common primary site, 40% of those were smokers. Tongue represent 45% of oral SCC followed by buccal mucosa which account for 1/4 of those tumors. Nearly more than half of oral SCC patients were smokers. Approximately 60% of the patients had swelling, while 40% had ulcerations, and nearly 36% showed a neck mass. The majority of the cases were diagnosed in stage IV 34% closely followed by stage III which account for almost 33% with a 42.55% of patients having a poorly differentiated tumors. Incisional biopsy was used as a method of diagnosis in nearly 70% of the cases. More than half of the patients had a curative radiotherapy while curative surgery was used in 37% of the cases.
This study can help in establishing a cohort longitudinal study of HNSCC.