Lip squamous cell carcinoma in a Brazilian population : epidemiological study and clinicopathological associations

Objectives: It was evaluated epidemiological aspects of primary lip squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) and its associations with clinicopathological factors. Study design: This retrospective, cross-sectional study analysed a sociodemographic, clinical, and morphological data of HNSCC in a Brazilian population (n=30). Data analysis included descriptive statistics and bivariate analyses using the chi-square and Fisher's exact tests to compare the variables. Results: The LSCC represented 10.8% of all oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma. Lip malignant disease was more prevalent in elderly men, with male-to-female ratio of 5:1. Lower lip was more affected. It was observed high rates of chronic solar exposure, and tobacco and alcohol drinking habits. Clinically, early TNM staging, small tumour lesions, and non-metastatic disease were predominant findings. It was identified a high frequency of well differentiated tumor samples. Worse Karnofsky performance status was associated with cervical metastasis. Conclusions: Our findings showed that LSCC patients exhibited similar epidemiological and clinical profiles as noted in other studies. Still, the occurrence of metastatic disease was associated with a worse physical performance status of the LSCC patients during diagnosis. © Medicina Oral S. L

Qualidade de vida de pacientes com carcinoma em cabeça e pescoço Quality of life of patients with head and neck cancer

Pacientes com câncer em cabeça e pescoço têm de lidar com o impacto de seu tratamento sobre aspectos funcionais e estéticos e seu autorrelato permite aprimorar medidas de suporte clínico e social. OBJETIVO: Avaliar a qualidade de vida de pacientes em tratamento de carcinoma de células escamosas em cabeça e pescoço. MÉTODO: Estudo analítico prospectivo. Vinte e nove pacientes com idade média de 57 anos responderam em três momentos: início, metade e final do tratamento, aos questionários: Quality of Life Core Questionnaire - Cancer 30 e ao Quality of Life Questionnaire - Head and Neck, European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer. Foi realizado teste de Friedman, significância: 0,05. RESULTADO: Houve altas médias para as funções física, cognitiva, social; melhora no estado de saúde geral e declínio da função social ao longo do tratamento e diferença significativa para gosto e cheiro (p = 0,020), deglutição (p = 0,040), tosse (p = 0,013), e perda de peso (p = 0,011). CONCLUSÃO: Houve redução significativa da qualidade de vida em relação a alguns sintomas comuns decorrentes do tratamento do câncer, que não ocorreu na avaliação das dimensões relacionadas às funções física, cognitiva, social e ao estado geral de saúde.Patients with head and neck cancer have to deal with the impact of treatment on its functional and aesthetic aspects, and its self-report enables improvements in clinical and social support. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the quality of life of patients dealing with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. METHOD: A prospective analytical study. Twenty nine patients with mean age of 57 years answered at three stages: onset, middle and end of treatment, the questionnaires: Quality of Life Core Questionnaire - Cancer 30 and the Quality of Life Questionnaire - Head and Neck, the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer. We used the Friedman test at: 0.05. RESULTS: There were high mean values concerning physical, cognitive, social functions; improvements in general health and social function decline during treatment; and a significant difference in taste and smell (p = 0.020), swallowing (p = 0.040), cough (p = 0.013) and weight loss (p = 0.011). CONCLUSION: There was a significant reduction in the quality of life for some common symptoms resulting from cancer treatment, which was not seen in the evaluation of the aspects related to physical, cognitive and social functions, and general health