Association between pathological invasion patterns and late lymph node metastases in patients with surgically treated clinical No early oral tongue carcinoma

Background This study evaluated the combination of tumor budding and depth (BD model) and worst pattern of invasion (WPOI) as histopathological prognostic factors in clinical N0 early oral tongue carcinoma. Methods Data from 62 patients were retrospectively analyzed. Associations between histopathological factors (differentiation, stage, lymphatic invasion, blood vessel invasion, WPOI, and BD model) and regional control (RC) or disease-free survival (DFS) were evaluated. Results The five-year RC and DFS rates were 74% and 65%, respectively. Univariate analysis identified blood vessel invasion, lymphatic invasion, WPOI, and BD model, whereas multivariate analysis identified WPOI, and BD model, as predictive factors for RC. Univariate analysis identified lymphatic invasion, WPOI, and BD model, whereas multivariate analysis identified WPOI, as predictive factors for DFS. Conclusion The pathological invasion patterns should be considered when determining the follow-up plan for patients with clinical N0 early oral tongue carcinoma.