Table 2.
Univariate analysis of factors related to the presence of occult lymph node metastasis.
| Comparison | Lymph node metastasis/total (%) | p |
|---|---|---|
| Gender | 1.000a | |
| Male | 9/35 (25.7) | |
| Female | 1/5 (20.0) | |
| Ageb | 0.240b | |
| Absence of lymph node metastasis | 61.5 ± 12.5 | |
| Presence of lymph node metastasis | 58.2 ± 14.4 | |
| Subsite | 0.544c | |
| Tongue | 2/15 (13.3) | |
| Floor of the mouth | 4/11 (36.4) | |
| Retromolar area | 3/7 (42.9) | |
| Lip | 1/4 (25.0) | |
| Buccal mucosa | 0/2 (0.0) | |
| Alveolar border | 0/1 (0.0) | |
| Perineural invasion | 0.032a | |
| No | 1/16 (6.3) | |
| Yes | 9/24 (37.5) | |
| Angiolymphatic invasion | <0.0001a | |
| No | 3/31 (9.7) | |
| Yes | 7/9 (77.8) | |
| Tumor thickness >7 mm | 0.043a | |
| No | 1/14 (7.1) | |
| Yes | 9/24 (37.5) | |
| pTdStage | 0.230c | |
| pT1 | 1/13 (7.7) | |
| pT2 | 2/9 (22.2) | |
| pT3 | 2/4 (50.0) | |
| pT4a | 5/14 (35.7) | |
a
Fisher's exact test.
b
Comparison between means of age – Student's t-test.
c
Chi-squared test.
d
Note: no statistically significant difference was observed between the stratified pT stage and the presence of occult lymph node metastasis (p = 0.274 and p = 0.278, respectively for pT1 and pT2 vs. pT3 and pT4a, and pT1–pT3 vs. pT4a).