Oral cancer in women: clinical profile, risk factors, treatment outcomes and survival predictors in 32 years of experience.

ObjectiveAn 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.MethodsThis 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.ResultsIn 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