Tumor budding is an optimal indictor of occult cervical metastasis in clinical early-stage buccal mucosa squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: Buccal mucosa squamous cell carcinoma (BMSCC) is an aggressive disease. This study investigated the clinicopathological significance of tumor budding (TB), depth of invasion (DOI), and mode of invasion (MOI) on occult cervical metastasis (CM) of BMSCC.

Methods: Seventy-one cTN BMSCC patients were included in this retrospective study.