OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the utility of lymph node ratio (LNR) as a potential prognostic predictor in selected patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). STUDY DESIGN: This was a retrospective study that identified 374 patients with OSCC who underwent primary surgery from 1980 to 2010. Of these patients, 148 were identified with regionally metastasized cancer. LNR was calculated as the ratio of positive nodes to the total number of nodes removed during neck dissection. Multivariate analysis was carried out. RESULTS: The global median LNR was 0.07. Cutoff values of LNR 0.05 and LNR 0.07 divided the patients into low- and high-risk groups. Patients with an LNR >0.05 had a hazard ratio of 3.665 for a disease-specific survival event, in comparison to LNR <0.05. The mean follow-up period was 5.25 years. CONCLUSIONS: Alongside established prognostic factors for predicting the outcome in patients with OSCC, the LNR appears to be another valuable prognostic factor for risk stratification.
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