Correlation of Pattern of Invasion, Stromal Inflammation and Lymphovascular Invasion With Histopathological Grading in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Introduction: Despite the progress in diagnostics and treatment modalities, the survival rate of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients has remained unchanged. Early diagnosis of the disease helps in better treatment and prognosis. Identifying clinicopathological and histopathological parameters that help predict disease progression is crucial. Objectives: To assess the significance of various clinical and histopathological factors in OSCC and to correlate the patterns of invasion of tumour (POI), stromal inflammation, and lymphovascular invasion with the histopathological grading of OSCC. Materials and methods: This study included 30 oral squamous cell carcinoma cases from 2015 to 2021. The surgically operated cases of OSCC were obtained from the archives of the Oral Pathology Department. The subjects were categorized according to the degree of differentiation of OSCC. The parameters like the pattern of invasion of tumour (POI), stromal inflammation, and lymphovascular invasion were assessed and correlated with the different histopathological grades of OSCC. Results: We observed a statistically significant correlation between the pattern of invasion and stromal inflammation with histopathological grades of OSCC. There was no significant association between lympho-vascular invasion and histopathological grades of OSCC. Conclusion: We conclude that histopathological parameters like the pattern of invasion and stromal inflammation significantly impact different grades of OSCC. These parameters should be included in routine histo-pathological reports for predicting clinical outcomes and management of the disease. Keywords: invasion, metastasis, tumour front, stromal inflammation, carcinoma