Improved outcomes with oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma in Finland.

Background: Incidence rates for oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) are steadily rising worldwide.

Methods: All patients diagnosed with primary oral tongue SCC at the 5 university hospitals in Finland from 2005 to 2009 were studied. The mean follow-up time was 43 months (median, 54 months; range, 0-111 months).

Results: Three hundred sixty patients with primary oral tongue SCC were identified. Treatment with curative intent was provided for 328 patients (91%). The 5-year disease-specific survival (DSS) rates were as follows: stage I 87%; stage II 73%; stage III 69%; and stage IV 51%. The 5-year recurrence-free survival in general has improved from 47% in our previous published series (1995-1999) to 65% in the current series (p < .001).

Conclusion: The outcome of oral tongue SCC has significantly improved in Finland. However, the relatively high number of disease recurrences in patients with stage I and II disease, when compared with patients with stage III and IV disease, calls for an investigation of new treatment approaches. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 39: 1306-1312, 2017.