Tumor budding is a potential histopathological marker in the prognosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma: Current status and future prospects

Tumor budding (TB) is a histopathologically evident feature that represents a scattered pattern of invasion consisting of isolated single tumor epithelial cells or tumor cells in small clusters (up to 5 cells) seen primarily at the invasive front dispersed within the stroma for variable distance. Presence of TB has been linked with lymph node metastasis, recurrence, distant metastasis and reduced survival in numerous cancers including oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Tumor buds are also considered as histopathological markers of epithelial–mesenchymal transition which is a molecular process implicated as a hallmark for invasion and metastasis. This review gives an overview of the current evidence regarding TB assessment in OSCC and its future prospects.