Cancer Weekly

Study findings on squamous cell carcinoma are outlined in reports from Wayne State University

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"A subgroup of patients who did not have radiation or surgery formed the basis to study the natural history of the disease. Data were analyzed using Pearson Chi-square, Student's T tests. Kaplan-Meier and Cox Regression Proportional Hazards survival analysis was conducted in SPSS and SEER-Stat software. The KSCC group had 3,102 and the NKSCC had 3,751 patients with mean age being 51 and 49 years, respectively (P = 0.001). In general, patients with KSCC were more likely to have advanced stage (FIGO III and IV) disease while patients with NKSCC were more likely to have poorly differentiated neoplasms (P < 0.001). The prevalence of lymph node metastasis remained similar in both histology types (P > 0.05). Overall, the 5-year survival in KSCC was 63.4% as compared to 65.3% in the NKSCC group (P = 0.04). treated by surgery had no difference in survival; however, patients treated by radiation had a median survival in KSCC of 33 months (n = 928, 95% CI 27.7-38.3) as compared to 38 months (n = 1,140, 95% CI 32.1-43.8) in NKSCC (P = 0.03). A total of 165 KSCC and 147 NKSCC patients did not receive treatment. Within this subgroup, the median survival was 10 months (95% CI 5.93-14.07) as compared to 28 months (95% CI 17.9-38.0; P = 0.001) respectively for the two cohorts. In multivariate analysis stage, treatment status, nodal metastasis and keratinization were independent predictors of survival (P < 0.05). This is the largest study reporting on the prognostic importance of keratinization in SCC. KSCC may be less radiosensitive and associated with shorter overall survival," wrote S. Kumar and colleagues, Wayne State University.

The researchers concluded: "Also, in the natural history of the SCC, keratinization signifies striking reduction in survival.."

Kumar and colleagues published their study in Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics (Prognostic significance of keratinization in squamous cell cancer of uterine cervix: a population based study. Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics, 2009;280(1):25-32).

Additional information can be obtained by contacting S. Kumar, Wayne State University, Dept. of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Hutzel Women's Hospital, 3990 John R, 7 Brush N, Detroit, MI 48201, USA.

The publisher of the journal Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics can be contacted at: Springer Heidelberg, Tiergartenstrasse 17, D-69121 Heidelberg, Germany.

Keywords: United States, Detroit, Cervical Cancer, Cervical Carcinoma, Gynecology, Histology, Neoplasms, Oncology, Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Surgery, Women's Health, Wayne State University.

This article was prepared by Cancer Weekly editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2009, Cancer Weekly via NewsRx.com.