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(CC BY-NC 4.0).
Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the most common oral cancers. Tumor microenvironment plays a significant role in the initiation and progression of OSCC. The interaction of malignant epithelial cells and the
tumor environment modulates angiogenesis, epithelial mesenchymal transition, and tissue invasion. The present study aimed to evaluate tumor-stroma ratio in oral squamous cell carcinoma and correlate it with the clinico-histopathological
features.
Materials and methods: 64 histopathologically confirmed cases of OSCC were included in the study. Tumor stroma ratio (TSR) was evaluated at the invasive tumor front and grouped as stroma-rich and stroma-poor. The TSR was compared with tumor grade, clinicodemographic details, lymphovascular invasion, perineural involvement, and nodal metastasis. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS software 23.
Results: Most of the cases of well-differentiated OSCC showed stroma-poor TSR, and poorly differentiated OSCC showed stroma-rich TSR; this correlation was s atistically significant (p = 0.033). It was noted that the stroma-rich TSR cases tend to have a higher incidence of lymphovascular invasion and nodal metastasis when compared to stroma-poor cases. Stroma-rich TSR also showed a significant correlation with perineural invasion (p=0.045).
Conclusion: The ratio of tumor and stroma at the invasive tumor front reflects the biological behavior of the OSCC. Evaluation of TSR might help in better treatment planning of patients with OSCC.