Objective:

To determine the sociodemographic characteristics and general survival of patients diagnosed with lip and oral carcinoma in the Pathological Anatomy Service at the School of Dentistry, University of Chile.

Material and methods:

All cases of oral squamous cell carcinoma selected were diagnosed between the years 2000 and 2012. All cases included in this study corresponded to the first diagnosis and tumor recurrence was excluded.

Results:

The 134 registered cases, 120 were selected with inclusion criteria. 60% were men (male and female ratio of 1.3: 1) and median age 63 year-old. Overall survival at two years was 48.3% and at five years 33.9%, according to Kaplan-Meier estimate. A higher survival was detected in the group of patients younger than 55 years old (p <0.05). In 79.2% of dead patients, the cause of death was registered as oral cancer.

Conclusions:

The highest percentage of patients diagnosed was men and elders. Five-year survival was lower than previously reported in national reports. Adults aged 55 years and older had a lower overall survival.

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