Metabolic syndrome is associated with better prognosis in patients with tongue squamous cell carcinoma

INTRODUCTION: Metabolic syndrome (MS) is associated with several cancers, but it is not clear whether MS affects the prognosis of tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC). This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of MS in TSCC. METHODS: Clinical data from 252 patients with TSCC who were initially treated at the Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center between April 1998 and June 2011 were collected, and the associations between MS and clinicopathologic factors were retrospectively analyzed. Prognostic outcomes were examined by Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: Of the 252 patients, 48 were diagnosed with MS. MS was associated with early N category in TSCC (P < 0.001). The patients with MS showed longer survival than those without MS (P = 0.028). MS was an independent prognostic factor for patients with TSCC. CONCLUSIONS: MS is associated with early N category in TSCC. It is an independent prognostic factor for better survival in patients with TSCC.