Verrucous carcinoma of the oral cavity. A review of forty-nine cases.

Verrucous carcinoma is a distinctive, extremely well-differentiated, slow-growing variant of the squamous cell carcinoma. Forty-nine cases of this neoplasm were gathered from the Oral Pathology Service at the Emory University School of Dentistry from 1965 to 1979. The most common site of occurrence was the buccal mucosa, followed by the mandibular alveolar ridge and gingiva. The majority of our patients were between the ages of 50 and 80 years, and most of them were Caucasians. Although most other series of oral verrucous carcinoma show a male predominance, almost 60 percent of our cases occurred in females. The role of radiation therapy in treatment of oral verrucous carcinoma is controversial, and adequate surgical excision appears to be the treatment of choice.