A Ten-Year Study of Oral Cancer in Patients Referred to Pathology Department of Emam Reza Hospital, Tabriz

Oral cancer is one of the common cancers as well as one of the 10 most common causes of mortality all around the world. According to the role of environmental and geographical conditions in prevalence of the oral cancers, epidemiological studies are of great importance. The aim of this study was to determine the ten-year prevalence of oral cancers in patients referred to the department of pathology at Emam Reza Hospital, Tabriz, Iran. In an analytical-descriptive and retrospective study, medical files of 256 patients with oral cancer were evaluated. Demographic, clinical and histopathological data were extracted and analyzed. Squamous cell carcinoma was the most common malignancy (79%), followed by salivary gland malignancies (13.6%) and sarcomas (3%). The male/female ratio was 2.46/1. The mean age of the male and female patients was 57.73±17.54 years and 61.29 ± 16.54 years, respectively. Tongue was the most common site of involvement (30%), followed by lip (28%). Nearly 96% of the squamous cell carcinomas were grade I. There was a significant negative correlation between the age and microscopic grade. Epidemiological pattern of the oral cancer in the present study was similar to that of the other studies. The male to female ratio and the mean age of the patients has increased during the study period.