Clinicopathological factors predicting lymph node metastasis in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma

Background

Oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a common head and neck malignancy in which cervicallymph node metastasis is an important determinant of prognosis and treatment planning. Several clinicopathologicalcharacteristics may influence the likelihood of nodal involvement, making their identification important for individualizedmanagement. The study aimed to evaluate the association of selected clinicopathological factors with cervical lymph nodemetastasis in patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma and to identify factors that could help predict nodalinvolvement. Materials and Methods: This hospital-based observational study included 120 patients withhistopathologically confirmed OSCC treated at the Department of Radiation Oncology, American International Institute ofMedical Sciences, Udaipur, between January 2025 and March 2026. Demographic, clinical and histopathological variableswere assessed in relation to cervical lymph node status. Categorical variables were compared using appropriate statisticaltests, with p<0.05 considered statistically significant.