Prognostic significance of tumour budding in oral squamous cell carcinomas-A histological assessment of oral cancer cases from a tertiary care centre

Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common diagnostic entity of head and neck malignant neoplasms. The classic histopathologic grading system does not provide insights for predicting the prognosis. Tumour budding (TB) has been evolving as a promising histopathological tool for predicting prognosis in OSCC. Aims and Objectives: This study was conducted to study the prognostic value of TB in OSCC patients. Materials and Methods: The study included a cohort of clinically and histopathologically diagnosed 120 excisional biopsy cases of OSCC. TB was evaluated on the hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections. The cut value of less than 5 buds or greater than five buds per field was used to assess the TB. Chi-squared test was used to study the effect of TB with various clinicopathologic parameters. The Kaplan–Meier curve was used for survival analysis. P ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: High TB (more than five buds) had a significant statistical association with perineural invasion (P = 0.05), the worst pattern of invasion (P = 0.05), and with recurrence/metastasis (P = 0.02). Conclusion: TB is a marker of aggressive tumor behavior in OSCC. Assessment of TB can help in planning adjuvant therapy for better clinical outcomes.