Prognostic factors in oral squamous cell carcinoma. A review of the literature.

Despite diagnostic and therapeutic progress, the overall prognosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma remains poor and prognostic information is essential for the evaluation and optimal treatment of patients. The prognosis of oral carcinoma depends primarily on clinicopathological factors, that however, have showed a limited predictive value for the identification of patients with high risk of disease relapse. In recent years, the analysis of DNA ploidy, cellular proliferation and oncogenes amplification have been used in attempt to identify new prognostic indicators. The review of the literature shows that TNM stage, tumor grading evaluated at the deep invasive margins and maximal tumor thickness effect on the prognosis. Moreover, the assessment of DNA ploidy and proliferative activity can be used to obtain additional prognostic informations. In contrast, additional studies are needed to understand the prognostic value of oncogenes expression in oral carcinoma.