Peritumoral infiltrate in the prognosis of epidermoid carcinoma of the oral cavity.

Introduction: Patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity present deficits in their cellular immunity that contribute to neoplastic growth. Thus, the inflammatory activity, such as the immunological response to the tumor, can be used as a prognostic factor.

Objectives: To evaluate the correlation between peritumoral inflammation and clinical characteristics of the patients, survival, and the disease-free interval.