Morphometric Analysis of Nuclear Features and Volume-Corrected Mitotic Index in the Prognosis of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

In the present study, an objective and reproducible evaluation of mitotic activity and nuclear morphometric factors was attempted in 30 patients of oral squamous cell carcinoma with a view to predicting local relapse and survival. Various nuclear parameters and volume-corrected mitotic index were calculated and compared with the recurrence and death of the study group (n = 30). Volume-corrected mitotic index (M/V index) was the single best prognosticator for recurrence of oral squamous cell carcinoma (p = 0.008 for recurrence ; p = 0.015 for death). The combination of M/V and SD of nuclear area (forward stepwise regression) was a more efficient and better predictor of survival (Log rank test, Kaplan-Meier's survival analysis ; χ = 17.46, p = 0.00001). The present study proved the effectiveness of the M/V index in predicting the biological behavior and the outcome of oral squamous cell carcinoma patients.