Oral cancer survival among Malay patients in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan.

AIMS This study was performed to determine oral cancer survival among Malay patients in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM), Kelantan. METHODS The medical records of 118 Malay patients with oral cancer admitted in HUSM from 1st January 1986 to 31st December 2005 were reviewed. Data collected include socio-demographic background, high-risk habits practiced, clinical and histological characteristics, and treatment profile of the patients. Survival status and duration were determined by active validation until 31st December 2006. Data entry and analysis were accomplished using SPSS version 12.0. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to perform survival estimates while the log-rank test and the Cox proportional hazards regression model were employed to perform univariate analysis and multivariable analysis of the variables, respectively. RESULTS The overall five-year survival rate of Malay patients with oral cancer was 18.0%, with a median survival time of 9 months. Significant factors that influenced survival of the patients were age, sex, tumour site, TNM stage, histological type, and treatment received. CONCLUSION Survival of oral cancer patients in HUSM was very low. Being elderly, male, presenting with an advanced stage at diagnosis, and not having treatment all contributed to poor survival.