Table 1.
Univariable and multivariable survival analyses according to the traditional clinicopathologic variables and stromal characteristics for early-stage oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma
| Univariable analysis | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variable | No (%) | DFS | P value | OS | P value | DSS | P value |
| HR (95% CI) | HR (95% CI) | HR (95% CI) | |||||
| Age (years) median: 63 | P = 0.006 | P < 0.001 | P = 0.015 | ||||
| ≤ 63 | 155 (50.3) | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| > 63 | 153 (49.7) | 1.84 (1.19–2.83) | 2.22 (1.61–3.08) | 1.88 (1.13–3.13) | |||
| Gender | P = 0.627 | P = 0.144 | P = 0.447 | ||||
| Male | 163 (52.9) | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Female | 145 (47.1) | 1.11 (0.73–1.69) | 0.79 (0.58–1.08) | 1.21 (0.74–1.99) | |||
| Stage | P = 0.574 | P = 0.191 | P = 0.174 | ||||
| T1N0M0 | 122 (39.6) | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| T2N0M0 | 186 (60.4) | 0.89 (0.58–1.36) | 1.25 (0.89–1.75) | 1.45 (0.85–2.49) | |||
| WHO histopathologic grading | P = 0.741 | P = 0.208 | P = 0.203 | ||||
| Well-differentiated | 104 (33.8) | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Moderately differentiated | 129 (41.9) | 1.09 (0.67–1.79) | 1.37 (0.96–1.97) | 1.71 (0.94–3.14) | |||
| Poorly differentiated | 75 (24.3) | 1.24 (0.72–2.16) | 1.10 (0.72–1.69) | 1.58 (0.79–3.16) | |||
| Perineural invasion | P = 0.278 | P = 0.210 | P = 0.432 | ||||
| None | 267 (86.7) | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Present | 41 (13.3) | 1.37 (0.78–2.43) | 1.31 (0.86–1.99) | 1.31 (0.67–2.58) | |||
| Desmoplastic reaction* | P = 0.706 | P = 0.621 | P = 0.278 | ||||
| Mature | 177 (66.3) | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Intermediate | 21 (7.9) | 0.77 (0.31–1.93) | 0.97 (0.54–1.74) | 0.39 (0.09–1.63) | |||
| Immature | 69 (25.8) | 1.14 (0.69–1.91) | 1.19 (0.82–1.73) | 1.25 (0.71–2.19) | |||
| Desmoplastic reaction* | P = 0.857 | P = 0.477 | P = 0.920 | ||||
| Mature | 177 (66.3) | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Immature | 90 (33.7) | 1.05 (0.65–1.68) | 1.13 (0.81–1.59) | 1.03 (0.59–1.77) | |||
| Stromal TILs | P = 0.011 | P < 0.001 | P = 0.021 | ||||
| High (≥ 20%) | 257 (83.4) | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Low (< 20%) | 51 (16.6) | 1.93 (1.16–3.22) | 2.46 (1.70–3.57) | 2.02 (1.11–3.66) | |||
| Tumor-stroma ratio | P = 0.018 | P = 0.03 | P = 0.047 | ||||
| Stroma-poor (< 50%) | 219 (71.1) | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Stroma-rich (≥ 50%) | 89 (28.9) | 1.69 (1.09–2.59) | 1.41 (1.02–1.96) | 1.67 (1.01–2.76) | |||
| Stromal categorization | P = 0.006 | P < 0.001 | P = 0.023 | ||||
| Category I | 191 (62.0) | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Category II | 94 (30.5) | 1.93 (1.23–3.01) | 1.88 (1.35–2.64) | 1.89 (1.12–3.21) | |||
| Category III | 23 (7.5) | 2.24 (1.09–4.59) | 2.12 (1.26–3.58) | 2.34 (1.03–5.31) | |||
| Stromal categorization | P = 0.001 | P < 0.001 | P = 0.007 | ||||
| Category I | 191 (62.0) | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Category II and III | 117 (38.0) | 1.98 (1.30–3.02) | 1.93 (1.41–2.64) | 1.97 (1.20–3.24) | |||
| Multivariable analysis** | |||||||
| Stromal categorization | P = 0.003 | P < 0.001 | P = 0.022 | ||||
| Category I | 191 (62.0) | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Category II | 94 (30.5) | 1.94 (1.24–3.03) | 1.85 (1.32–2.59) | 1.82 (1.07–3.09) | |||
| Category III | 23 (7.5) | 2.68 (1.26–5.69) | 2.95 (1.69–5.15) | 2.66 (1.11–6.33) | |||
| Stromal categorization | P = 0.001 | P < 0.001 | P = 0.009 | ||||
| Category I | 191 (62.0) | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Category II and III | 117 (38.0) | 2.04 (1.34–3.12) | 2.01 (1.46–2.76) | 1.94 (1.18–3.19) | |||
*Desmoplastic reaction was assessed in 267 tumors
**Adjusted for age, gender, stage, WHO grade, and perineural invasion
OS overall survival, DSS disease-specific survival, DFS disease-free survival. The statistical significances (P values) of variables were assessed using likelihood-ratio test. Note: Stromal TILs and tumor-stroma ratio were analyzed in our previous studies (references 15 and 16), and their prognostic values were compared in this study with desmoplastic reaction and our proposed stromal categorization