Objective: Oral squamous cell carcinoma is the most common head and neck malignancy reported worldwide. Tumor budding represents a histopathological feature characterized by the presence of isolated single/small clusters of cancer cells dispersed within the stroma at the invasive tumor front. Its prognostic significance has not been studied much in lip and oral squamous cell carcinomas in India.

The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic role of tumor budding in a large single-center retrospective cohort of 333 patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma at a tertiary cancer center in North Kerala, India.

Material and Methods: The primary resection slides of 333 patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma from 2018 to 2020 were retrieved from the pathology archives and were evaluated by two independent pathologists for tumor budding and other histopathological parameters. The survival data were collected from the patient files.

Results: We found a significant association between tumor budding and other known histopathological prognosticators using Chi-square analysis. Univariate logistic analysis showed tumor budding, depth of invasion (>10 mm), worst pattern of invasion 5, and perineural invasion were significantly associated with locoregional recurrence/distant metastasis. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified tumor budding as an independent prognostic marker for locoregional recurrence/distant metastasis. Univariate cox proportionality analysis showed that tumor budding, depth of invasion (>10 mm), worst pattern of invasion 5, pathological T4 stage, and perineural invasion were associated with decreased overall survival and poor disease-free survival in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma. Multivariate cox proportionality analysis showed tumor budding as the only independent predictor for decreased overall survival and poor disease-free survival.

Conclusion: Based on this study, we can conclude that tumor budding is a simple and a reliable independent prognosticator that facilitates personalized management in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma.